


Ascension of Darkness

by jessesharon



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Deities, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 51,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessesharon/pseuds/jessesharon
Summary: An adventure filled story following (Y/N) (L/N) as she winds up in the Naruto Universe. Lots of fighting, action, romance, and mystery. Just where do your alliances fall?





	1. Chapter 1

      A soft smile played across the lips of the (h/c) haired woman as she strolled happily towards her destination, the hem of her pale yellow dress swaying around her knees with each giddy step. Her beautiful smile grew as the days events replayed in her mind for the umpteenth that day.

**Flashback**

      Shrill, obnoxious beeping cut through the peaceful silence and filled the room, causing the sleeping woman nestled underneath her covers to growl quietly before reaching out and shutting the alarm off. Closing her tired eyes she debated on whether or not it was worth being late for work to get a few more minutes of much needed sleep. Grumbling incoherently to herself she pulled the blankets up to her chin and rolled over but the sound of nails rapidly clicking against the hardwood floor met her ears. “Dex no!” You called out still half asleep but it was too late. The excited husky jumped up onto the bed and began licking your face, one of his large paws digging into your shoulder. “Fine, I’m up! Happy?” Your annoyance was short lived as he started chittering and howling quietly at you with his tongue lolling out of his open mouth. “Let’s go get you some breakfast, yeah?” Dex jumped off the bed and waited as you stood up and grabbed your robe off its hook. Slipping the silky material over your body you grabbed your phone off of the dresser and grimaced at your reflection as you passed by the mirror. Dark circles were forming under your eyes and your (h/c) hair was a mess. Grabbing an elastic you made quick work of throwing your hair up into a messy bun as the two of you left the room and made your way to the kitchen. After feeding the energetic dog you set out making (drink of choice).

      Sitting down at the table you went through your normal routine of checking your phone for any missed messages and scrolling through social media. Only two missed texts, not too bad. Opening the first one you couldn't help but smile.

**Blaine:**

Morning babe! Went to the gym early today but I’ll be back before you leave for work! Love you!

_5:43 A.M_

      Deciding not to respond quite yet you clicked on the other text and raised an eyebrow. Why did she text me so early? And how can she possibly be so excited in the morning?

**Amy:**

Hey!! I have great news, call me ASAP!! :D

_6:32 A.M_

      Pressing the green call button beside her name you waited as the phone rang. Once. Twice. Thr-.

      “Hello?” A feminine voice came through the speaker.

      “Hey Amy it's (Y/N)."

      “(Y/N) hey! So I have news about Dex!” Amy responded way too cheerfully for first thing in the morning.

      “Oooh what’s up?” You questioned curiously, your interest piqued.

      “He's officially been adopted! Can I swing by with his new parents today?”

      “Seriously!? Yes, yes of course! Oh my God I’m so happy for him! I have to work at nine, do you think you guys can come by before that or do you want to wait until after work?” Your sudden burst of energy seemed to attract the young dog and he came bounding back and sat on the floor beside you with a happy sounding bark. Grinning down at him you absentmindedly began petting him.

      “I’ll give them a call and see what they think. Sound good?”

      “Works for me.”

      “Great, I’ll get back to you right away.”

      “Sounds good, talk to you soon!” Finishing up your goodbyes you hung up and sat on the floor next to Dex. “Did you hear that? You're getting a forever home, isn't that exciting!?” Slobbery kisses and vigorous tail wagging was his response. Wrapping your arms around him you giggled happily when he nudged the side of your face with his and set his head down on your shoulder. Pulling away you felt the corners of your mouth turn down and your eyebrows furrow. “I’m gonna miss you though… You're the sweetest foster we've had, ya know?” Dex tilted his head and gave a small whine at your sudden mood change. Intelligent sparkling blue eyes stared into your own (e/c) orbs as he slowly brought his face closer to yours until his cold wet nose touched yours gently. “Sometimes I swear you understand me more than a normal dog should. Such a smart boy.”

      “Should I be jealous of a dog right now?” A deep voice chuckled from behind you. Both you and Dex turned to look at the owner of the voice. Standing in the entryway to the kitchen was a six foot three inches tall male with dark grey eyes glittering in mirth, the right side of his soft lips pulled up in a smirk. Giving Dex one last scratch under his ear you stood up and made your way over to the man.

      “Maybe. He is pretty adorable after all.” You teased as he fake pouted. Growling playfully the man quickly wrapped his arms around you and held you close to his sweaty body. “Ew ew ew gross! Let me go Blaine!”

      “Hmm… No, I’m good.” Strong arms tightened around your waist as his chin came to rest on top of your head. After a few minutes of struggling he finally released you from his grip and grinned down at you. “I’m going to head up to the shower, want to join me?”

      “….”

      “I’ll make it worth your while.” His pupils dilated as his eyes roamed your body and he wiggled his eyebrows. Staring into your eyes he wrapped his fingers around the soft fabric of his shirt and slowly pulled it off, exposing his muscular body. Dropping the item of clothing onto the floor he reached out and slid his hands under your robe, caressing your (s/c) shoulders. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as his fingers traced patterns across your skin. “As much as I love your Akashi robe I think it should come off now.” He eyed the black and red robe with disdain.

      “I think you mean Akatsuki. From Naru-.” You were cut off by lips crashing into yours roughly and large hands sliding the silky garment off of your body, leaving it to pool on the ground at your feet. Melting into the kiss you let him take you by the hand and lead you to the bathroom, missing the way Dex seemed to glare at Blaine and growl quietly as he took you out of the room.

**End of Flashback**

      Blushing wildly you bit your bottom lip and stopped yourself from thinking about the shower you shared with Blaine. People on the street looked at you funny but you paid them no mind as you clutched your purse and the plastic bag containing your work clothes tighter in your hands and picked up your place. You continued thinking more about the good things that happened to you earlier.

**Flashback No.2**

      With one final wave goodbye to Dex and his new family you shut the door and started the search for Blaine. “Blaine? I have to leave for work right away. Where are you?”

      “In here!” Following the sound of his voice you found him in the kitchen smiling down at his phone.

      “I might have to stay late today, Dr. Nicols said he has something important to discuss with me.” At the sound of your voice Blaine quickly shoved his phone in his pocket and looked up at you, a guilty look flashing across his face before offering a small smile.

      “Any idea what it's about?”

      “No,” you sighed and ran a hand through your hair, “I hope it's good news though.”

      “I’m sure it is, all your bosses love you babe. Do you need a ride?”

      “No, I have an Uber on the way.” Rushing around the kitchen you grabbed a travel mug from the cupboard and filled it with (favourite hot drink).

      “Hey before you go, I have something for you.” Grey eyes twinkled happily. “Wait here for a second.” Tapping your foot impatiently you couldn't stop your lips from forming a silly smile. _Blaine never gets me anything unless it’s a special occasion. I wonder what it could be...?_ Lost in thought you didn’t notice the male re-enter with a large box wrapped neatly in (f/c) wrapping paper and topped with a large white bow. You snapped back to reality when you heard him clear his throat to get your attention. “Well come on, open it!” He chuckled as your cheeks heated up in embarrassment at having zoned out.

      Not having to be told twice, you skipped over to the counter where he sat the gift down and began tearing the paper off. (E/C) eyes widened in delight. Lifting the first item from the box you held it up and let it unfold; a perfect replica of the jounin vests from Naruto down to every last detail.

      “I remembered how you said you wanted to cosplay as a female Kakashi or whatever so I thought you’d like this.” Blaine commented as you inspected the vest.

      “This is perfect, thank you!” Setting the vest down beside the box you continued pulling items out. There were various plushies of different characters, a charm bracelet with charms from Naruto, Black Butler, Fairy Tail, and (another favourite anime). Lastly, you pulled out an expensive looking leather-bound notebook and opened the cover. Attached to the inside cover was a photo of the two of you from the day you graduated University. You were dressed in a dark grey peplum top with a zipper in the front, dark blue skinny jeans, Louboutin red bottom pumps (a graduation present from yourself), and around your neck as always was a thin leather string and hanging from the string resting on your chest was a silver pendant in the shape of the symbol that all Konoha ninja wore on their forehead protectors. Your soft (h/c) tresses were pulled into a fishtail braid and hung over your right shoulder. Blaine was holding you close with his arm wrapped tightly around your waist. He looked especially handsome in his three piece suit, the white undershirt and blood red tie contrasting nicely with the black jacket and pants. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back and gelled into place and he had a carefree look on his face as he smiled at the camera. Even though the picture was only two years old it felt like a lifetime ago to you.

      “Turn it over.” Following his advice you gently plucked the photograph from the cover and turned it over and quickly recognized his neat handwriting.

(Y/N), I can't believe it’s been almost eight years since we first got together. Every day that we spend together I fall more and more in love with you and I can't wait to spend many more years together. Even though you like all that geeky stuff I can look past that, because I love you so much. I have a surprise for you tonight. Meet me at the north entrance of the seawall in Stanley Park tonight at 7:00.

      Overlooking the slightly insulting jab about the ‘geeky stuff' you smiled and felt your heart beat quicken at the prospect of what the surprise could be. _Is he- is he finally going to propose?! We have been together for a long time and we both have good careers… Holy shit I think it's going to happen!_

      “So, what do you think?” Blaine questioned nervously.

      “I-I love all of this. Thank you!” Jumping at the unsuspecting male he stumbled back as he caught you, both of you laughing together.

      “I’m glad. So you’ll be there tonight?” His eyes searched yours.

      “Of course baby. Gonna give me any hints about the surprise?”

      Blaine's chest resonated with his deep laughter, “not a chance.” Leaning down he presses his lips against yours and nipped your bottom lip teasingly. “Your ride is going to be here soon, I’ll walk you out.”

      The goofy grin plastered on your face didn't falter once as you left the love of your life standing in the front door and got into the awaiting vehicle. As the car began to drive away you waved a final goodbye and couldn’t stop your mind from racing about tonight's surprise.

**Time Skip**

      Stepping into the spacious waiting room you breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air hit you, a stark contrast to the uncomfortable heat from outside. The room was quiet as usual, the only discernible sounds coming from the secretary typing away on her keyboard and the running water from the large wall mounted fountain. Humming contentedly you glided towards the front desk feeling as if you were walking on air.

      “Good morning Doctor (L/N), you seem awfully chipper this morning.” The elderly secretary greeted you as you entered the office.

      “Good morning Maria. What can I say, it's been a pretty great day so far. Do I have any messages?”

      “No messages, but Doctor Nicols would like to speak with you as soon as his next appointment is over.”

      “Oh. Right. I almost forgot about that.”

      Maria noticed the sudden change in your attitude and sent you a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry dear, I’m sure it's nothing bad.”

      “Thanks Maria. I’ll just be in my office if anyone needs me.” The sound of your heels clicking against the light grey marble floor echoing in your ears, the ecstatic feeling from before morphing into a big ball of nerves that settled deep in your stomach. Entering your office you switched the light on and opened the blinds covering the window to let the summer sun fill the room. Grabbing the name plate from atop your desk you sat in your spot behind the desk and traced your fingers over the engraved letters.

(Y/N) (L/N), M.D, PhD

Clinical Psychiatrist

      _Did I mess something up? I mean, I know I’m the youngest one here but I work really hard. My patients love me. I’m always early and I stay late. I worked so hard to get here. Oh God, they aren’t going to fire me are they?_ A loud knock from the other side of the door pulled you out of your thoughts, “Come in.”

      “Good morning Doctor (L/N).” A tall, brooding man entered the room with a serious expression on his face.

     “Good morning Doctor Nicols.” Standing up quickly you smoothed down your white pencil skirt and moved around the desk to stand in front of your boss.

      “That’s enough small talk. Time to cut to the chase. You have been working here under Doctor Prescott, Doctor Warn, and myself for close to two years now.” Your heart felt like it was about to beat right out of your chest as he continued. “In all of our years we have never seen someone with such an impressive work ethic or rapport with patients that you possess. When we first hired you here you were fresh out of school and only twenty five years old. I must admit that I was sceptical at the thought of someone acquiring both a PhD and a M.D in only seven years when it takes most others at least twelve years. I suppose it helps being a certified genius, hm?” His green eyes had a hint of pride in them as he smiled at you.

      “I- Well um- Thank you sir.” You managed to choke out as you felt your cheeks heating up, surprised at the compliment from the stoic man.

      Waving his hand dismissively he continued, “We would like to promote you to senior partner. You would have more responsibilities and more patient referrals as well as a pay increase. What do you say?”

      “Yes! Thank you! This is amazing, I won't let you down I swear!” Every fiber of your being wanted to throw your arms around the man and give him a big hug but you managed to restrain yourself and stick your hand out instead.

      “Put that away and come here.” You didn’t hesitate to step forward into his open arms. Your smile grew when he returned the hug before pulling away. “Congratulations (Y/N), you’ve earned this. I took the liberty of having Maria clear your schedule for the day. Go out and celebrate. We will see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

**Time Skip**

      After leaving work early you decided to treat yourself and do some shopping for a new outfit for Blaine's surprise. Sighing dejectedly after hours of checking out multiple stores and not finding anything that felt right you figured you’d just head home. Grabbing your phone out of your purse you were about to call for a ride when the urge to check out one more store overtook you. Shoving your phone back into your bag you felt yourself start walking down the busy sidewalk. Wandering aimlessly you continued on your little journey until you came upon a small hole-in-the-wall shop. _Lonely Desire Boutique? Never heard of them before._ Pushing the door open you were hit with an old, musty smell that made your nose scrunch up. It looks like a bomb went off in here. All different types of clothing were strewn together haphazardly and nothing was organized. Not seeing anyone around to help point you in the right direction, you started sorting through clothes in one last attempt to find something good.

      “Can I help you?” A soft voice cut through the silence. Not expecting the sudden appearance of anyone you spun around and hit the rack with your shoulder. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?” There was something strange about the person in front of you that caused the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. Dull grey hair hung limply down her back and milky, lifeless eyes seemed to bore deep into your soul. Her voice was the complete opposite to her appearance, sultry and smooth as honey.

      “I’m fine thank you. I’m just browsing.”

      “Ah I see. I apologize for the lack of organization in here, perhaps I can point you in the right direction if there is anything in particular you’re searching for?”

      “No, that’s alright. Thank you.” When the employee kept silent and eyed you from head to toe you began to get self conscious. Before you could say anything else, she tilted her head and held up her index finger motioning for you to wait where you stood. You watched her scurry to the back of the store and disappear behind a curtain before re-emerging moments later with something yellow in hand.

      “This is a very special dress. It has had many different owners yet has never chosen to stay with anyone for long, it always finds its' way back to me. It is said that the fates smile upon the person wearing this particular dress. I believe it will serve you well.” The employee held the dress out to you expectantly waiting for you to take it.

      “Uh thank you but it's not quite what I’m looking for.” _This person is crazy…_

      “Please, just try it on. You may like it more then you think.” Empty eyes bore into your own refusing to back down. “The dressing room is just over there.” They pointed to the far left corner at the back of the room.

 _Geez what is with this woman? I’ll try it on and then leave as fast as I can._ Sighing internally you took the dress and made your way into the dressing room. Inside the room you peeled off your skirt and blouse and pulled the dress on. Turning to the mirror your eyes widened at your reflection. Despite not looking like much when it was thrust into your hands, you couldn’t help but be amazed at how it looked on you. Pale yellow in colour, it was strapless with a sweat heart neckline, form fitting on the top accentuating your large chest and slender waist yet flowy from the waist down, and ending right at your knees. Turning from side to side you couldn’t help but smile as the soft fabric swayed back and forth. As you were checking yourself out you heard hushed voices arguing.

      “Why would you give her that! What were you thinking?!” A raspy voice growled quietly.

      “You know just as well as I do that she was never meant to be here. I’m simply righting YOUR mistake.” The strange employee shot back harshly.

      “It’s a little late for that don’t you think?"

      “Of course not. She'll do just fine once this mess is cleaned up.”

      “If she goes to that place there will be chaos. Their timeline has already been written without her as part of it.”

      “Then I guess it will be rewritten.” The employee responded dismissively.

      “How is that-.”

      “Hush now. We will discuss this later.”  You couldn't help but eavesdrop on the weird conversation. Fidgeting with the dress you felt a sense of unease and regret at having ever stepped foot in this place. The lady from before knocked gently on the door, “what do you think?”

      “It's beautiful.” Stepping out you smiled politely, still unsure about the whole situation. Glancing around for the owner of the extra voice you saw that it was still just the two of you.

      “I knew it would look lovely on you. Would you like to wear it out?” A knowing look was sent your way.

       “Yes please.” Gathering up your things you followed her to the cash register, “how much do I owe you?”

      “Consider it a gift. Here, a bag for your things.” Not wanting to stick around any longer then you had to, you thanked the employee and shoved your work clothes into the plain black bag before scurrying out the door. In your haste you failed to notice the strange black markings that appeared around their eyes and the way they were no longer a milky white but had turned into swirling pools of silver.

**Flashback End**

      _Just one more block to go and then I can tell Blaine about my promotion. He's going to be so excited!_ Within minutes you spotted his black BMW parked in the driveway but frowned when you noticed another car behind his. _That looks like Stephanie's car but what is she doing here?_ Your stomach sank and in the back of your mind you knew what was happening inside your home. _No… He wouldn’t do that to me. To us._ With shaking hands you pulled out your keys and unlocked the door. Stepping inside as quietly as you could you heard something that broke your heart. Breathy moans and strained grunting. Despite your better judgment you followed the noise up the stairs and to the master bedroom. You felt your already broken heart shatter into a million pieces at the sight before you, one of your closest friends, Stephanie, and Blaine naked. Stephanie was on her hands and knees on top of your bed facing away from you while Blaine stood hunched over her body, thrusting into her from behind. Too shocked to say anything you simply watched with wide eyes, tears dripping down your cheeks. The sound of your bags hitting the floor alerted the guilty parties to your presence.

      “Shit (Y/N) I can explain!” Your boyfriend jumped away from the female and quickly grabbed his boxers from the floor and pulled them on.

      “…” Saying nothing, you backed up slowly before turning around and fleeing. You didn’t get very far before a hand wrapped around your wrist.

      “Please (Y/N). Let me explain. I love you. I didn’t mean to-.”

      Snapping out of your shock you whirled around, “You didn’t mean to? Are you fucking serious? How the Hell do you ‘accidentally’ fuck one of my friends?!” You snarled as you ripped your hand out of his grasp.

      “Baby please.” His pleas were pissing you off now.

      “Go fuck yourself, asshole. Pack your shit and get out.” Tears were still falling but the fire in your eyes and venom in your voice told him you were dead serious. He tried reaching for you again but before he could touch you you pulled your arm back with a clenched fist and swung at his face. The satisfying ‘crack' from his nose breaking upon contact helped dull the pain in your hand.

      “Fucking bitch!” Blood dripped from his now crooked nose and over his lips as his hand shot out and wrapped around your throat. Tightening his hold painfully he bent down so you were eye level with each other and snarled, “she's a better fuck then you anyway. And she's not a goddamn loser like you. Wanna know a secret?” His voice was dangerously low now. Leaning even closer so his lips brushed against your ear as you struggled to breathe, “I never actually loved you.”

      Next thing you knew, his grip disappeared from around your throat but two rough hands shoved you backwards. You felt each individual step as your body flew down the stairs. The house was silent except for the sound of your body tumbling down and Stephanie's terrified screams before one final loud crack was heard and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I based your body type on what mine was at that age and a bit from now.

      “Was killing her really necessary Vixaa?”

      “It was the easiest way to bring her here Aither. You know the risks of attempting to bring a mortal to our dimension while they still inhabit their human vessels.”

      As you started regaining consciousness you heard two strangely familiar voices arguing with each other. Groggy and disoriented you groaned and tried opening your eyes. Panic swelled up inside of you when they wouldn’t budge, as if someone had glued them shut.

      “That won't work, human. You cannot see our true forms just yet.” The first voice, Aither, spoke to you, the sound distorted and raspy.

      “W-where am I? Who are you people?” You tried demanding but your voice came out small and afraid, mirroring how you felt.

      “Your kind would call this Purgatory.” Aither responded once more.

      “Why am I-,” flashes of Blaine pushing you down the stairs and intense pain played through your mind, “I’m dead?”

      “Yes and no. You died in your world, however that was necessary to correct my partner's mistake.” The more feminine sounding voice assured you.

      “What does that mean? And why can't I move?” Another fruitless attempt to make your body obey you.

      “It is easier for us to explain the situation to you without you running around in a panic. We will return your movement and sight once we finish. If you’re done asking foolish questions we can continue.” Aither scolded you, the way a parent would speak to a disobedient child.

      “Enough Aither. Now, the quicker we explain this the quicker we can send you away. Mortals are not meant to stay here long.” Making sure you wouldn’t interrupt, Vixaa continued. “Aither and myself are referred to as many things by you humans. Death, God, the Devil, Angel’s, Demons, Fate. We are all and none of those things. We are but two of many of our kind. It is our job to ensure all souls are sent to the proper Universe and keep the balance of all things. We create new souls and destroy the ones who have used up all of their time. Your soul is new and special. You were created for a specific purpose, but an… associate of Aithers' was not pleased with your creation and took it upon himself to place you far away from your true home. It has taken us centuries of searching to find you but now that we have we can finally send you back. Do you have any questions so far?”

      Shaking your head slowly your mind whirled with this information, not sure of what to make of any of it.

      “Good. Unfortunately when we send you back you will not be the age you are now but you will also not be able to start life as an infant either, you will fall somewhere in the middle. As a way to help you navigate your new life we are allowing you to retain all memories you currently have.”

      Without warning you felt something swirling around your entire body before jumping up in shock. Snapping your eyes open you took an involuntary step backwards at the sight of the creatures in front of you. The one on the left definitely didn’t look human. It stood at least twelve feet tall and vaguely reminded you of a centaur only much more terrifying. The humanoid top half was a sickly grey colour, the torso looked like it had been stretched over and over again it was so narrow and elongated. All of the bones on its torso and arms were showing through its paper thin skin. From each elbow a long, black, curved talon protruded dangerously while each of its skeletal fingers were tipped with sharp claws. Starting from one collar bone and wrapping around the back of its head and connecting with the other collar bone was what looked like black fur attached to the things skin. Its unnaturally slender head was devoid of any hair, it had no eyes or eye sockets, there were two small holes where its nose should be, and its lips were pulled back into an eerie grin that stretched from ear to ear showcasing extremely sharp looking fangs. Growing up and out from each side of its head were what looked to be massive antlers resembling that of a moose. Another ring of thick black fur wrapped around the area where the two different halves of its body connected. The bottom half of the creature looked like a normal horse, only much larger. Strange white markings covered the soft looking brown coat and the black tail flicked in annoyance.

      The other creature was the complete opposite of the first one. Obviously the female that had been speaking to you, she stood only a few inches taller than you. As if she couldn’t be bothered with clothes, her lithe body remained nude as she stood proudly in front of you. Every inch of her silver skin seemed to shimmer and shine like a crystal in the sun despite the minimal light in this place. Long white hair defied gravity as it floated all around her, caressing her skin with gentle touches. Her eyes were two pools of swirling silver, no pupils or sclera, staring right back at you. Delicate black markings traced patterns all across her flawless skin. Two enormous, pristine, white feathered wings stretched out behind her before she tucked them back into place. A sense of familiarity coursed through you as you gaped at her.

      “Have we met before?” The words spilled out of your mouth before you could stop them. You felt like kicking yourself. Of course you never met these things before, you would definitely remem-.

      “We have. You’re still wearing my gift.” Vixaa chuckled as she nodded towards you.

      “What you said about the dress… Was it true?”

      “Not even remotely.” She chuckled. “I believe you know this already, but I am Vixaa and this is my partner Aither. Before we send you back, a word of warning. The world you are leaving to is favoured by the one who sent you away. We will shield your presence from him however he has a few devout followers scattered around. Should any of them cross paths with you he will know what we have done and he may come after you.”

      “How will I know if I meet one of them?” Trepidation filled you at the prospect of a high powered being trying to kill you.

      “His followers are not subtle. You will know if you see one.” Aither spoke in his raspy voice.

      “Does he have a name?”

      “Jashin.” Your eyes were wide as saucers as your brain processed the all to familiar name. _Jashin? But that's the guy Hidan worshipped in Naruto. There's no way it's the same person. It's just manga and anime not real life._

      “He is very real. There are many things your pathetic human brain will never be able to comprehend, this is but one of those things.” Aither snapped at you after seemingly reading your mind.

      “We can't keep you here for much longer. You are free to try and change anything you wish but there is no guarantee it will work. One final piece of information for you. As I said, your soul was created for a specific purpose. While we cannot tell you why or what you are meant to do, we can tell you this: the path to happiness is illuminated by eight brightly burning flames. When the moon splits in two and each half becomes whole, all eight flames shall burn as one.”

      “I don't get it. What does that mean?”

      “You'll understand when the time comes. May we never meet again.” Vixaa smiled gently at you before leaning down and pressing her soft lips to your forehead. Exhaustion overtook you and you swayed on the spot for a few seconds before falling down, asleep before your body hit the ground.

      The sensation of falling from a high distance and suddenly being jerked to a stop forced you to wake up. Hissing at the bright light temporarily blinding you when you opened your eyes you sat up and surveyed your surroundings. You were sitting in the middle of a clearing in what looked to be a large forest. Plush grass tickled your bare skin as a light breeze blew past you. _This is so peaceful._ Closing your eyes you allowed yourself to smile contentedly as you listened to the sounds around you. Birds chirping, leaves dancing in the wind, a running stream somewhere in the distance, -. _Wait, why the Hell am I naked?!_ Rushing to cover yourself with your arms you looked around to make sure no one was spying on you. Breathing a sigh of relief you started walking in a random direction to try and find someone who would hopefully help you. Movement from your peripheral vision caught your attention. Keeping your arms over your chest and trying to cross your legs you slowly looked over. _Thank God, it's just a deer._ Your relief was short lived as you remembered you were now in the Naruto universe. _Please tell me I’m not in the Nara Clan Forest and that isn't one of theirs…_ The deer stepped towards you with it's ears laying back and slowly lowering it's head. _Shit shit shit. I’m naked and about to be attacked by a fucking DEER._

      Thinking quick you avoided eye contact and called in a wavering voice, “Please don't attack me. I didn’t mean to trespass, I just woke up here and my clothes were missing. I’m sorry.” Refusing to look up you didn't notice the animal walk up to you, its ears perked up and head lifted. You didn’t raise your head until you heard it snort and nudge you with its nose. Looking up at the deer you realised it was even bigger then you first thought. It turned around and took a few steps before looking back at you expectantly. “Yo-you want me to follow you?”

      It nodded slowly and waited until you were beside it to continue walking. “Thank you.” The walk was quiet except for the calming sounds of nature all around you until you stepped on something sharp and sliced your right foot open. Hissing in pain you steadied yourself on a nearby tree and lifted your foot to see the damage. Blood had already started dripping down onto the forest floor and the wound throbbed painfully. The large animal eyed you curiously for a moment before coming over and laying on the ground next to you. Realising what it wanted you let go of your leg and shuffled closer to the deer. You were about to lift your leg over it’s back but hesitated when you thought how uncomfortable and highly embarrassing that would be if anyone saw you. _I guess that only leaves one option._ Backing up until you felt its course hair on your backside you put one hand on either side of you on its back and hoisted yourself up. Wrapping your hands carefully around his antlers he stood back up and started up again, this time trotting through the trees. _When we send you back you will not be the age you are now but you will also not be able to start life as an infant either, you will fall somewhere in the middle_. Vixaas' words echoed in your mind. Taking the time now you looked down and examined your body. The most noticeable difference you found was your chest, no longer were they the F cup you had grown used to but they seemed to have shrunk back down to a large C cup. Your body had a little more padding all over and reaching up to touch your face you now held a small of baby fat again. Based on feel and sight alone you had to estimate you were eleven or twelve all over again. _Great, going through puberty for a second time sounds like a blast._

      “Isn't that one of yours Shikaku?”

      “It looks like Rikumaru. I don’t know who that is riding him though. Or how they got in here without anyone noticing.”

      The deer slowed down and stopped gracefully seconds before three very intimidating men jumped down from the trees landing in front of you. A surprised noise escaped your lips as you scrambled to cover your chest with one arm and your southern area with the other hand, almost falling off of the deer in your haste. Wide (e/c) stared at the men as your cheeks heated up. It didn’t take your brain very long to process just who these men were. The older Ino-Shicka-Cho trio stood in all their glory before you. _They’re a lot more badass looking in person._

      “U-um excuse me, c-can I borrow something so I can co-cover up please?” You barely managed to squeak out. Inadvertently all three sets of eyes came to rest on your poorly concealed chest and soon their faces were the same scarlet shade as your own. “Please stop staring.”

      Choza was the first to react as he spun around comically fast so his back was facing you. Inoichi suddenly found his hands extremely fascinating and Shikaku looked everywhere but at you as he shrugged off his deer skin coat and held it out to you. “Thank you sir.” What did he say this deer’s name is? Rikumaru I think? “Can you let me down please Rikumaru?” Said deer folded his legs and lay down once more and you slid off as carefully as you could. “Thank you.” Pulling the beige garment on and holding it closed you felt slightly more comfortable. “I’m dressed now.”

      “Who are you and why are you here?” Shikaku spoke first as they all turned to face you again, his voice sending shivers down your spine.

      “My name is (Y/N) (L/N) and I’m not sure why I’m here or where I am.” Lying through your teeth you hoped they bought it, the truth was far less believable.

      “Hn. You’re hurt.” Shikaku observed.

      “Um yes sir. I stepped on something sharp a while back.”

      “You haven’t treated it.” Another statement.

      “N-no. I don’t have anything to wrap it or clean it with.” Cue another round of blushing from the four of you.

      “Right, of course. Sit, we can help before taking you back to the village.” Inoichi's smooth voice ordered as he stepped over. Taking his extended hand you sat on the dirt covered ground and allowed him to examine your injury. His fingers were surprisingly gentle as he cleaned the cut and applied some sort of balm before wrapping it in a bandage. “That should do until we get back. One of us will carry you, I don’t think you'll get very far on your own.

      “How troublesome.” You barely heard Shikaku whisper to himself. Biting your lip to stifle the giggle threatening to bubble up and out of your mouth, you accepted Inoichi’s hand and he helped you stand with a kind yet guarded smile. “Choza, head back before us and inform the Hokage of the situation.”

      “Right.” The bigger male finally spoke, nodding curtly before taking off.

      “I’ll take the girl. “ Shikaku slipped one arm underneath your knees and the other behind your back and lifted you up. Holding you tight against his chest he started running in the direction Choza went, Inoichi keeping the pace next to the two of you. Startled at the sudden speed you threw your arms around his neck and held on in fear of him dropping you. His chest vibrated briefly and you realised he had just laughed at you.

      “Well now that was just rude.” Inoichi's amused snort let you know that you had accidentally spoken out loud. Cue another round of your face heating up.

      The rest of the of the trip to the village passed in a literal blur and before you knew it you were sitting in front of the Hokage, two masked ANBU figures stood on either side of him, and the Ino-Shicka-Cho trio behind you.

      “Well, this is certainly an interesting predicament. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. Your name is (Y/N) (L/N), correct?” The Hokage questioned, inhaling deeply from his pipe.

      “Yes sir.”

      “That’s a very unusual name. What village did you come from?”

      You felt all eyes on you as you internally panicked. “Shirakawa. It's a small village on the northern part of the Land of Fire.”

      “I see.” He paused and turned his head ever so slightly towards the door. “You may come in Kakashi.” In walked the copy cat ninja, silver-grey hair looking unbelievably soft.

      _I would love to run my fingers through that hair. It looks so touchable, much more than Blaine's was._ Thinking about the man who technically murdered you turned out to be a mistake. The frown on your face as you were watching Kakashi walk in was noticed by all shinobi in front of you. The silver hair jounin raised his one visible eyebrow but remained silent.

      “Please explain to me how you came to be in the Nara Clan's Forest without being seen. And how you managed to avoid being attacked by the deer, which I must admit is an impressive feat in and of itself, let alone one of them allowing you to ride it.”

      “I’m not quite sure how I got there, all I know is one minute I’m in my home and the next minute I'm waking up in the middle of a forest with no clothes. As for the deer, he was about to attack me but I kind of… asked him not to?” Your answer came out sounding like a question. “He seemed like he wanted me to follow him so I did but after I got hurt he laid down and let me climb on him.”

      “Interesting. Shikaku, have any of the deer done anything like this before?”

      “No Hokage-Sama, they always attack trespassers.”

      “Hmm.” Another long pause as he smoked from his pipe. “One last thing. You’ve told me half of the truth but it's time for the full truth,” He raised his head and finally looked you in the eye, “Now.”


	3. Chapter 3

      The air in the room became tense at the Hokage's order while everyone waited for you to speak.

      “I-I don't think you’ll believe me.”

      “I’ll be the judge of that. Either start telling me the truth or I will be forced to resort to other methods.”

      Balking at the idea of what the ‘other methods' would be, you sighed and began telling your story.

**Time Skip**

      He asked for the truth and that’s exactly what you gave him. You told him all about Aither and Vixaa and how they were then ones who sent you here. How Jashin was responsible for what happened and how if he found out about your existence in this world he would hunt you down. You told him about your previous life and your childhood, but left out the fact that in your original world the Naruto world and all of its people are fictional. You ended your story by telling him about Blaine and how you died in the other world. A mixed look of pity and surprise flickered in his eyes before returning to a passive expression while one of the men behind you placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.

      “So you say you were twenty eight in your world but in this world you are twelve?”

      “I think so yes. I haven’t actually seen my reflection but this is what my body looked like at that age.”

      “And you are a certified genius? What age were you tested?”

      “Seven, sir. With a score of two hundred and twenty.”

      “Shikaku, what was Shikamaru's score?”

      “Two hundred and fifteen.”

      “Hmm. As someone with the intelligence you claim to possess, I am sure you understand that I cannot simply take your word for any of this.”

      “I understand.” You replied softly, hanging your head.

      “Inoichi, I need you to either confirm or deny her story.”

      “Of course.” A large hand rested atop your head and in seconds you felt another presence inside your mind, sifting through your memories. It felt like an eternity before he finally withdrew himself and his hand and you were left panting on the floor. “She's telling the truth.”

      “Thank you Inoichi.” As you tried to steady your breathing you missed the sound of rustling as the Hokage came to stand before you. “As you are no longer considered a threat to us I would like to formally welcome you to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I will supply you with a place to live and money to buy the necessities. As you have no shinobi training I will have various jonin train you and gauge your skill level and they will all report their findings back to me before I decide on whether or not to send you to the Academy.” For the first time since stepping into his office you felt relaxed as his tired face smiled down at you.

      “Thank you sir, I really appreciate this.”

      “Everyone except Kakashi and (Y/N), you are dismissed.” After helping you stand, the Hokage returned to his original place at the front of the room. “(Y/N) this is Kakashi Hatake, he will be the first to train you and assess your abilities.”

      “It's a pleasure to meet you.” His one visible eye closed and his mask moved slightly as he sent you his signature polite yet fake smile.

      “Before I show you to your new home there's one last important matter we must see to.” Scratching his white goatee he studied you carefully. “How are you feeling?”

      “Um… nervous and excited I guess.” Caught off guard by the random question you kept your reply short.

      “Good good. I would like to try a simple exercise if that is alright with you.” You knew he wasn't really asking but you nodded anyway. “Excellent. I want you to close your eyes, clear your mind, and take a deep breath. Keep your eyes closed until we finish.”

      Confused about the task you did as you were told.

      “Another deep breath.”

      Tuning out everything but the calming voice of the Hokage you felt your muscles start to relax.

      “Again.”

      As you exhaled the next breath you felt completely at peace.

      “Again.”

      Halfway through inhaling once more, the sound of something slamming into the floor broke you out of your trance and caused your eyes to fly open.

       “Well Kakashi?” The Hokage turned to look at the male.

      “You were right. Her chakra changes colour and shape depending on her mental and emotional state. But…”

      “Yes?” “There's something else mixing with her chakra but it's nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

      “Wait, what does that mean?” Panic laced your voice as your eyes darted from one male to the other.

      “Right now it means that we need you to learn how to focus and direct your chakra so you can control it. With the lessons from myself and the jonin I will be assigning it shouldn't take you long to learn.”

      “What about the other thing inside me?”

      “I am not sure. I will look into what it could be, but until I know for certain what it is I need you to be careful and if anything happens, anything at all, report it to me. For now though, I can show you to your new home, I will send someone over later to show you around the village and take you shopping for clothes.”

**Time Skip**

      “Small, but cozy.” You spoke out loud to yourself as you walked through your new apartment. There were no walls separating the rooms but the layout was okay; the bed was in the far left corner underneath a window overlooking the village, the kitchen was to your right as you entered the room with a little table and two chairs, and there was an old sofa in the far right corner. There was a door between the kitchen and ‘living room' that led to the bathroom, which held a toilet, a sink, a bathtub, and a mirror. Sharp knocking sounded from the front door. Opening the door you were met with a black haired woman with red eyes.

      “You must be (Y/N) (L/N). My name is Kurenai Yuhi. May I come in?”

      “Of course. It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am.” Stepping aside you let the woman enter, closing the door gently behind her.

      “Please don’t call me ma’am, I’m not that old. Kurenai will be fine for now.” She chuckled lightheartedly. “I’ll be showing you around the village and taking you shopping. Here, I was told you didn’t have any clothes so I brought something for you. I’ll wait out here while you get dressed.” Taking the bundle of clothing from her you smiled gratefully before scurrying to the bathroom. Slipping off the coat you dressed quickly and looked at your reflection. Tight black shorts that would have ended mid thigh if you were a little shorter but came to a stop a few inches under your bum with beige pockets on the side. A red halter type top covered your torso, the collar rising up from your shoulder and around the back of your neck to meet the other side as a thin beige belt wrapped around your waist. The neckline of the top plunged just under your breasts allowing the black bandeau style bra to peak through. On your feet were what looked like a mix of knee high boots and open toe sandals, beige in colour with a silver plate covering most of the front.

      “I think they’re a little small, but I really appreciate them Kurenai.” You called out as you emerged from the bathroom, tugging the bottom of the shorts down.

      “I’m sure they’re not-,” Kurenai's scarlet eyes widened as she looked at you, “that bad… I’m sorry, it looks like you’re a little taller then me. And more developed.” Light pink dusted her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Come on, let’s go find you some proper fitting clothes. After, I’ll take you out for supper. My treat.”

**Woo! Another Time Skip!**

      “Phew. I haven’t shopped that much in a long time, I’m exhausted.” Plopping down into your chair you sighed in relief at being able to rest your tired feet, the wound from earlier all but forgotten. Closing your eyes you inhaled the delicious scents of the one anime restaurant you always wanted to eat at and finally had the chance to, Ichiraku Ramen.

      “You’ll need to build up your endurance and stamina if you want to be a powerful ninja.” Kurenai chuckled as she nudged your shoulder with hers affectionately.

      Sticking your tongue out childishly, both you and the kunoichi laughed. During the hours you spent together, you two became surprisingly close. You talked about your childhoods and how different they were, your friends, and she filled you in on Konohagakure history (even though you knew it all already). When you told her about your career she was extremely interested and had a lot of questions, all of which you happily answered. She mentioned in passing that one of her friends could greatly benefit from your expertise but wouldn’t tell you who. The way she talked about him it wasn’t hard to piece together who she meant. Kakashi.

      “So Kurenai...” A mischievous smile formed on your face as you remembered something.

      “Yes?”

      “Do you have a boyfriend?”

      “W-what? No! Why would you ask that?” Kurenai denied as her face lit up and she glared half-heartedly at you.

      “No reason, just a little girl talk.” You batted your eyelashes innocently while smirking.

      “Evil child.” The flustered female flicked your head causing you to laugh.

      “Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! What can I get for you?” A sweet voice asked as a brunette woman came into view.

      “I’ll have the miso ramen please Ayame.”

      “Of course. And for you miss?”

      “I’ll have the same please.”

      “Of course. Ill be back with your food soon.”

      “So (Y/N), how are you liking it here so far?”

      “I love it here. Back in my world it didn’t matter where I lived or who I was with I never felt like I truly had a home. As a kid I never really had many friends, all the other kids thought I was weird and they bullied me a lot so I was always on my own. I haven’t even been here for twenty four hours yet but I already feel like I’m finally home. And being with you kind of feels like I have a big sister.” You felt your face heat up as the unexpected sentiment tumbled out of your mouth. “Sorry, that was weird wasn’t it? We don’t even know each other all that well and now I made things awkward and I-". You didn’t get to finish your sentence as slender arms wrapped around you and pulled you close to a floral smelling chest.

      “It's not weird at all. I feel the same way. There's just something about you. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends.” Kurenai's red eyes crinkled in happiness. A loud commotion from outside of the restaurant drew her attention away and she sighed as you both watched the door swing open and a tall male with unnaturally shiny black hair came tumbling in, followed by two familiar faces. All three males noticed the pair of you at the same time and made their way over to you.

      “Ah ha, Kurenai! You’re looking as lovely as ever! And who is this stunning young flower?”

      “Hello Guy. This is (Y/N), she's-.”

      “What an exotic name! Perfect for such a beautiful woman! Everything about you exudes youth! You must come out with me and we can celebrate our youth together!” He gushed enthusiastically as he held onto your shoulders.

      “Oh um I'm flattered but I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Trying to squirm out of his grasp you peered over his shoulder and saw Kakashi chuckling quietly.

      “Leave her alone Guy, she's too young for you.” Kurenai came to your defense, still irked at the man for interrupting her earlier.

      “Nonsense, I’m only-.”

      “She's twelve.” Kakashi chimed in seeing your discomfort. Guy's eyes widened and he took a large step back, right into the third male who was gazing at Kurenai.

      “(Y/N), this is Might Guy,” she pointed at the astonished male, “and Asuma Sarutobi, they’re some of the strongest ninja in the village and friends of mine.”

      “It's nice to meet you both.” You smiled sweetly and held your hand out to Asuma.

      “The old man was right, you are polite kid.” He chuckled as he shook your hand.

      “Asuma is the Hokage's son.” Kurenai informed you as Ayame returned carrying two steaming bowls and placing them down in front of you.

      Asuma, Kakashi, and Guy decided to join you so the five of you found a new table and sat down; Kurenai and Asuma on one side, you and Kakashi on the other, and Guy sat on the outside. They started up a new conversation but you were too preoccupied with your thoughts to pay them any attention. _Poor Kurenai. Poor Team 10. I wonder if there's a way I can save Asuma. Vixaa DID say I could try and change anything I want… But if I do manage to save him what about Kakuzu and Hidan? Shikamaru only went after them BECAUSE of Asuma's death. What if I save him but those two end up killing more people? Unless I can save him and still get Shikamaru to go after them…I’m smart, I’ll think of something. I still have a lot of time before that happens. I can do this! But then what about the Hokage? And Jiraiya? If I was able to save the Hokage, Tsunade wouldn't be brought back here. If I save Jiraiya then Naruto might not become the toad sage. And if he doesn’t become the toad sage will Pein be defeated? Maybe I should talk to the Hokage, say I have visions or something. Yeah. I’ll talk to him, he should at least be prepared for what's to come_.

      “Are you okay?” Kakashi whispered, his visible eye shining with concern.

      “Huh? Oh, uh yeah I'm fine.”

      “You sure about that?” His fingers tickled your bare skin as they slid down your arm and wrapped around your wrist. Your eyes followed his movements and they widened as he gently slid your hand out from under the table. Your nails had grown an inch in length and the tips had sharpened dangerously.

      Your breathing quickened and you began feeling overwhelmed, which only made things worse. The other ninja at the table immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to you. The lights in the restaurant became too much so you clenched your eyes shut, but that only intensified the noises rushing into your ears. Clutching your head you tried to make the pain go away to no avail as all of your senses seemed to increase tenfold. The increased heartbeats of your four dinner companions, the buzzing of the light fixtures, and the sounds from the kitchen all made your head pound. Your skin felt icy cold, like you had fallen into a frozen lake, but where Kakashi still held onto your wrist it was as if a white hot poker was wrapped around your flesh. Every breath you took coated your nostrils unpleasantly. Woods and tobacco from Asuma, flowers and fresh air from Kurenai, sweat and the smallest trace of alcohol from Guy, and the way it smells before a storm hits (it's a real thing called ozone, which can come from lightning) with a trace of dog coming from Kakashi. But his scent was the most confusing to you. It didn't hurt your nose the way the others did, but instead allowed a sense of comfort to wash over you and subconsciously you found yourself nuzzling his neck with your face and inhaling deeply. His attempts to put some distance between the two you allowed you to snap back to reality just long enough for you to open your eyes. Everyone was staring at you with shocked faces.

      “I- I’m so sorry. I have t-to go.” Asuma was the first to react as you shot up from the table, his hand grabbing your arm roughly. “Pl-please let go.” You heard them talk to you but couldn’t make out the words. _I need to leave. I don’t care where I go but I need to leave. Now._ Bile began to rise in your throat and you clenched your eyes shut again as you felt your body shift and suddenly the hand on you was gone, along with the overwhelming smells and sounds. Falling to your knees your supper came back up and you heaved a few more times before sitting back. A wave of relief settled over you as you realised you had somehow appeared back in your apartment. Not trusting your legs at the moment you crawled over towards the bed and climbed up. Curling into a ball you clutched your knees to your chest and let your tears flow down your cheeks. _What’s happening to me?_


	4. Chapter 4

      You woke to the gentle sounds of birds chirping outside and the warmth of the sun as it shone through the window. Stretching out your limbs you groaned in satisfaction as your joints popped and cracked. Your good mood deflated as you realised that your heightened senses were still intact. Taking a deep breath, a fraction of your good mood returned when you noticed that while your senses stayed heightened, there was no pain anymore. Attempting to sit up and place your feet on the floor, your legs got tangled in a blanket you didn’t know you had. Freeing your legs you set the blanket down on the bed, a familiar scent wafting up. _This smells like Kakashi…Why was he here? WHEN was he here?_ You answered part of your own question as your sensitive ears picked up the sound of light breathing coming from the old sofa in the corner of the room. Creeping over quietly you watched as the silver haired male slept peacefully. His sleep riddled voice broke the silence in the apartment.

      “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

      “How long have you been here?” You backed up and refused to look at him as he stood up.

      “Since last night. I came looking for you after your little disappearing act. You had us all worried you know.”

    _Of course they were worried. I’m a monster. They were probably scared I was going to attack someone and I don’t blame them. **I** don't even know what is happening to me, how are they supposed to trust me? Especially after running off the way I did. _

  A gentle hand touched your chin and tilted your face up to look at the older male. “We were worried FOR you, not because of you. We know there is something special about you and we're prepared to help you. Last night was just a little… unexpected, that’s all.” He sounded genuinely concerned for you which only made your guilt grow.

      “But I-I… I SNIFFED you!”

      “You did. But I've had much worse things happen to me. I can handle a pretty girl sniffing me.” You weren't sure if he winked or blinked but you couldn’t help but giggle. “There, isn’t that better? Now that you’re feeling better do you think you can explain what happened?”

      “I’m not really sure what happened to me. One second everything is fine and the next I was freaking out.” Sitting down on one end of the sofa you held your hands on your lap. “Well actually, I think I know WHY it happened but I don’t think you’ll believe me.” You felt the sofa dip as Kakashi sat next to you and waited patiently for you to continue. “In my world I had… visions I guess you could call them.” _Aaaand now I’m lying to him. I really must be a genius_. Pushing your sarcastic thoughts aside you kept going. “I didn’t know if I’d still have them here but I had one last night.”

      “What was it about?”

      “The death of someone I grow close to. I-I can't tell you who or when, because there's a small chance I can prevent it from happening. If I tell anyone the details then there's an even bigger chance of it coming to fruition if anyone else tries to change things.”

      Kakashi was silent as he processed the information, his face unreadable. “Okay. The Hokage will need to know about this right away.”

      “I know. I’ll tell him as soon as I can.”

      “That doesn’t explain everything though.” He trailed off as he raised his eyebrow.

      “I was just… I felt so… Helpless. And Scared. I saw h-them die and I couldn't do anything to stop it.” Tears threatened to fall but you quickly blinked them away.

      “It sounds like your emotions are responsible.”

      “There's… there's something else too.” You bit your lip hard enough to draw blood as he motioned for you to continue. “All of my senses have gotten stronger. A lot stronger.”

      “Hmm. Is that why you were sniffing me?” He chuckled at your embarrassment and ruffled your hair.

      “Um… yes? You just smell so…,” (e/c) eyes widened as the words slipped out of your mouth, “never mind that.”

      “No no, please tell me how I smell to you. I’m very interested to know.”

      You shook your head vigorously as you squirmed in your seat. _What is going on with him? Yeah he's supposed to be kind of a pervert but this isn't even close to how he acted in the anime…_ You felt him run his fingers through a section of your messy hair and whimpered, “P-please stop.”

      Snapping out of whatever was going on with him, he cleared his throat and shot up from the couch. “Come with me, there's someone I think you need to meet.”

      Aside from the noises around the two of you, the walk to wherever Kakashi was leading you was made in silence. Neither one of you knew what to say after the awkward situation in your apartment. The masked male led you to a section of houses close to the edge of the village before stopping in front of a random one and knocking. Barking and yelling erupted from inside as footsteps drew closer to the door. The door swung open revealing an irritated looking middle aged woman.

      “Yeah? What do you want?” Her glare reduced slightly seeing who was at her door. “Oh, it's you.” Her voice was gruff and something about her had you dipping your head in submission.

      “Good morning Tsume. I was hoping I could talk to you about something. I would've found someone else but this seems like something the Inuzuka’s might understand.” Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

      “Who's the pup hiding behind you?” Her eyes narrowed as you shrunk into yourself.

      “She's the reason we're here actually.” He stepped out of the way and gently guided you forward so you were standing in front of the woman. “Her name is (Y/N) (L/N). (Y/N), this is Tsume Inuzuka clan leader of the Inuzuka’s (I can't actually find anything that confirms that but for this story she is).”

      “It's n-nice to meet you ma'am.”

      “So this is the kid I’ve been hearing about. She sounds weak.” Tsume scoffed.

      “I’m not weak! You're just terrifying!” You shot back while glaring at her, maintaining eye contact. Her eyes narrowed even more and she stepped closer to you, making you regret opening your mouth but refusing to back down. She stared back at you before surprising you with her bark like laughter.

      “Not bad kid, you've got guts. Come in.” She grasped your shoulder with her clawed hand and pulled you inside, Kakashi following behind. Her hand didn’t leave your shoulder until you reached a large office. Letting go of you she sat on the edge of a cluttered desk and folded her arms. “So what do you need?”

       As Kakashi explained the situation, leaving out the stuff about your visions, Tsume rested a hand under her chin and studied you thoughtfully. When he got to the part about you smelling him you saw her smirk.

      “What?” Her grin grew larger at your annoyance.

      “She scented you.”

      “No I didn’t!” You replied indignantly, not quite sure what she meant but the way she said it bothered you.

      “Maybe not consciously pup, but you did.”

      “I’m sorry, what does that mean?” Apparently he was just as confused as you were.

      “Scenting is something members of our clan do when looking for a mate. It's one way for us to find the most suitable partner.” Tsume was snickering at the expressions on your faces.

      “But I’m not an Inuzuka!”

      “No you’re not. Your scent isn’t fully human though.” Standing in front of you she sniffed the air around you. When she pulled away from you she repeated her actions with Kakashi. “Tell me, have you been acting strangely around (Y/N) recently?”

      “Oh… I erm… wh-what makes you think that?” Kakashi's visible cheek tinted pink as he struggled to form a coherent sentence.

      “The way you two smell. It's strongest from (Y/N) but I smell it on you as well. She was dosing you with pheromones. It's a miracle you even managed to make it here without ripping each other's clothes off.” Her laughter died down and she frowned. “She dosed you with pheromones…” Snapping her attention to you she gripped your chin and tilted your face up, sharp claws threatening to slice open the delicate flesh. “How did you do that? I know of no-one, not even in my clan, who can do that.”

      “I- I don’t know! I didn’t even know I was doing it, I swear!” _God this woman scares the shit out of me._

      “You have no control over it!?”

      “No!”

      Removing her hand she sighed and started pacing the room, “Kakashi, how did you manage to resist her?”

      “I don’t know. I had an overwhelming urge to um- uh- you know… and then (Y/N) looked scared and asked me to stop and I came to my senses and then we rushed over here. Before she asked me to stop it was like I had no control over my body, I knew what I was doing but I couldn't do anything to stop myself. If she didn't stop me I’m not sure what I would have ended up doing.”

      “Hmm. This is not good. But it sounds strangely familiar.” The Inuzuka matriarch tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her animalistic eyes lit up and in seconds she had opened the office door and yelled out, “Kuromaru, come ‘ere!”

      “You called?” Your jaw dropped as a large, wolf-like dog padded into the room and spoke in a gravelly voice.

      Tsume explained the situation to her faithful ninken. “Did I miss anything?”

      “I might have left something out from last night.” Kakashi glanced over at you apologetically, “when she started sniffing me I made an attempt to pull away and she growled at me.”

      “She scented you and growled when you tried to stop her?” Kuromaru clarified.

      “Yes.”

      “What do you think, this all sounds familiar doesn’t it?”

      “Indeed. But that is just a fairy-tale we tell the pups.”

      “It had to start somewhere and that story has been passed down our clan for generations. It's possible there is some truth to it.”

      “What is the story about?” All of your previous embarrassment faded away, excited at the thought of having an explanation about what was happening to you.

      “Sit. And listen carefully because I will NOT be telling this again, understood?”

      You and Kakashi nodded and sat obediently on the floor, waiting for Tsume to begin.

      “Long before the time of the Sage of the Six Paths when the world was in a constant state of war and there was no chakra to wield, there lived a mysterious clan who worshipped the moon. Every night when the moon was high they would sit under the stars and sing a beautiful melody until the sun began to rise. It was said that in return for their devotion, the moon granted half of them supernatural powers. Some of the members began changing more then others, their appearances becoming wolf like. All of the members were blessed with increased senses and animalistic features, but the half that had been given powers changed the most.

      The longer they worshipped the moon the less human the powerful half remained. They embraced their new animal behaviours and formed a pack hierarchy, eliminating the need for a clan leader and instead naming the strongest among them alpha. Jealousy and anger spread throughout the rest of the clan. The ones who stayed more human in appearance felt the moon was favouring the others and their resentment grew. Soon the clan split in two, both sides being led by their strongest males; Hirako as the alpha of the wolf pack and Kyoya with the others.

      Years passed as Kyoya and his group waited for the perfect opportunity to attack Hirako and take over as alpha. It wasn't until Hirako's mate Miari was close to giving birth that Kyoya saw his chance and began concocting his plan. But Miari was clever and she knew that Kyoya would soon act on his hatred, using her weakened state to his advantage. Knowing that in her state she couldn't protect Hirako or the pack if a fight broke out she decided to use the one thing she swore never to use. Late one night while the pack was singing to the moon she slipped away and found Kyoya whispering to the shadows. Listening to him speak, she knew that she had made the right choice by seeking him out. Filled with shame and the burning desire to protect her pack, it's said that she used one of her strongest abilities against him. One only she had been bestowed out of the entire pack, the power to make any man or woman fall helplessly in love with her. Upon using it against Kyoya, he became instantly enamored with her. Now infatuated with Miari, he obeyed her every command and without Kyoya to lead them, his followers did nothing. Weeks passed by and under a blue moon Miari went into labour. As her pain progressed, her people were attacked by a shadowy figure. Unable to help as her family and friends were mercilessly slaughtered around her, she made one final plea to the moon above her. She begged for the life of her unborn daughter to be spared and to be given the strength to one day reunite both sides of the pack so that they could live in harmony as one.

      As Miari lay defenseless and unable to fight, a young boy crawled through the carnage and clung to her in fear. The boy lacked the wolf features she possessed, one of Kyoya's clan members, and tears ran down his cheeks. With her blood soaked hands she wiped away his tears and with the last bit of strength she had, she teleported him far away from the massacre. No-one knows if the moon answered her prayers, but it is believed that the boy she saved became the first Inuzuka. The blood Miari left behind staining his cheeks and being passed down through the generations as a reminder of the selfless act that allowed our clan to live.” Tsume finished the story solemnly, the room quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

      “That- that seems like a really bad story to tell kids.” Astonishment was obvious in your tone.

      “It's not meant to be a happy tale kid. We tell that to our young as a reminder to never turn your back on your family.” Kuromaru spoke up.

      “Is it possible that there's any truth to it?” Kakashi questioned.

      “I don't know. Maybe. If there really was a clan like that it would have been many centuries ago, but (Y/N) being able to dose you with pheromones would be a very big coincidence otherwise. I can look through our archives and see if I can find any information but I can't guarantee anything.” Tsume's usually fiery eyes held concern as she gazed at you.

      “Thank you Tsume.” Kakashi bowed and you followed suit. “If you find anything please let me know as soon as possible.”

      “Yeah yeah. I want to talk to the pup alone before you leave.”

      “Huh? Oh, uh yeah of course.” Your heart began to race as the two males left the room, leaving you alone with the Inuzuka.

      “No need to be scared pup, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Tsume spoke uncharacteristically softly as she walked around her desk and rummaged around inside of a drawer. Finding what she was searching for she pulled it out and made her way back to you. “These should help with your pheromones until you can learn how to control them.” Holding her hand out to you you saw a small box resting in her palm. Taking it from her outstretched hand you opened it and peered inside where you saw rows of small purple spheres.

      “What are they?”

      “Blockers. Every Inuzuka carries them with them in case of emergency.”

      “What do they do?” “They delay our heat cycle if we're on a mission and it starts.”

      “Heat cycle?”

      “We have more animal traits than people realise. That information doesn't leave this room, understand?”

      “Of course,” you smiled at her as you pocketed the pills, “but why are you giving them to me? Not that I don’t appreciate it.” You added hastily.

      Tsume sighed and her eyes softened, “Because what is happening to you is out of your control. And based on what Kakashi told me earlier, it scares the shit out of you being in a situation like that where you have no control. If you run out of the blockers come find me and I’ll make sure you have more.”

      Her words left you speechless. The woman you came to expect to be terrifying and someone not to mess with seemed to care a great deal about you, like a mother. _Not that I know what a mother's love feels like…But this is probably it._

      “There's one last thing we need to talk about. If the legend is true and you are the descendant of Miari, the changes happening to you now are only the beginning. Not only physically but mentally as well.”

      “What do you mean?”

      Tsume sighed again. “There are some things I left out of the story for Kakashi's sake, I know how that boy can be.”

      “What things?”

      “Miari is said to have been more then just the alpha's mate. She was cunning and fearless, kind and gentle. But after the clan members changed, she had a darkness inside of her that scared even Hirako. Her thirst for blood was so strong that she became the packs greatest weapon. Any time an enemy attacked, Miari would kill them all without hesitation, enjoying the power she felt from taking their lives.”

      You were too shocked to speak. _There's a chance I’m related to her? I get that in this world shinobi kill but the sane ones don't enjoy it like she did, and she wasn't even a shinobi. Am I going to end up like her?_

      “Relax (Y/N), right now it's all just a story. We have no proof any of it is real.”

      “R-right.”

      Tsume's hand ruffled your hair and she chuckled as you spluttered angrily. “How old are you pup?” Tsume changed the subject as she exited the room, motioning for you to follow.

      “Huh? Oh, I’m twelve.”

      “Really?” She looked back and raised an eyebrow as she inspected you with her gaze. “You look older. I have a son your age, I wonder if the brat is here. Kiba! Get your ass down here!” Her loud shout ringing in your sensitive ears and making you wince.

      “He's not home ma.” A young woman with her long brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail called out as she rounded a corner. “I think he's out training.”

      “More likely goofing off with those friends of his.” Tsume scoffed. “(Y/N), this is my daughter Hana. Hana this is (Y/N) (L/N), she's new to Konoha.”

      “It's nice to meet you.” Hana smiled kindly at you.

      “It's nice to meet you too.” You returned her smile. The three huskies beside her padded over to you and started sniffing your body. Crouching down, you held a hand out and let them sniff it before petting them all. They seemed to enjoy the attention as they began pushing each other out of the way to get more pets.

       “These are my ninken, the Haimaru brothers. It looks like they really like you.” Hana chuckled as the three dogs started licking you.

      “I love dogs.” You beamed up at her, “I used to take care of a husky just like these guys. He was such a sweet boy.”

      “So why do you need Kiba, ma?” Hana questioned after watching you interact with her ninken for a minute.

      “(Y/N) here is the same age. Would've been nice for them to meet.”

       “I'm sure they’ll meet soon. You'll be going to the Academy right?”

      “I'm not sure. The Hokage wants to test my abilities first.”

      “Either way, you'll know if you see him. But with that loudmouth you'll hear him before you see him.” Tsume shook her head, her canines poking out as her lips pulled back in a small smile. “Come on, we should get you back to Kakashi before he starts thinking I killed you or something.”

      Bidding farewell to Hana and the dog triplets you followed the older woman to the front door. Thanking her again for her help you stepped outside and saw the ex ANBU male waiting for you, only he wasn't alone. (E/C) eyes widened as he motioned you over to the group.

      “(Y/N) I’d like you to meet someone.”


	5. Chapter 5

      Standing next to Kakashi you remained silent as he introduced you to the three males. “(Y/N) this is-.”

      “So you're the girl Hiruzen mentioned. My name is Danzo Shimura.” He eyed you coldly, interrupting Kakashi. For a brief second you could have sworn you saw interest flicker in his one visible eye and you couldn’t help but shudder.

      “Hello sir.” You responded equally as coldly, surprising yourself. All of the horrible things that he claimed to have done for the village flooded your mind. All of the lives he ruined, the countless people he hurt, every single death he was responsible for, the unimaginable pain he had caused…you were practically seeing red and shaking with fury. The desire to rip his throat out and bathe in his blood swelled up inside of you and it took all of your willpower to shove the feelings down and remain calm.

      Sensing your sudden hostility, Kakashi attempted to divert your attention and introduced you to the other men. “This is Torune Aburame,” he nodded towards the male with the mask covering most of his face, “and Fu Yamanaka.” You shifted your gaze to the auburn haired man. Nodding curtly at both of them you listened as Kakashi continued, “If you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be and we're already running late.”

      “Very well. Consider what we talked about. I’ll be expecting an answer within the week.” Danzo spoke curtly as he gripped his cane and nodded at his companions. As you watched them walk away, Kakashi placed a hand on your shoulder and judging by how his eye narrowed you could tell he wasn't happy.

      “What?” You shook his hand off as you growled at him.

      “What was that all about?”

      “What was what about?” Playing dumb you crossed your arms petulantly.

      “Don't. Just don't. I’m already in a bad mood, I don't feel like dealing with your childish behaviour right now.” His tone was icy as he rubbed his temples.

      “In case you've forgotten, I AM a child.” Despite practically feeling the annoyance emanating from him you added under your breath, “maybe you should pull the stick out of your ass.”

      “What did you just say?” His hand shot out as he grabbed your arm roughly and turned you to face him, his voice dangerously quiet.

      The air around the two of you suddenly became cold and despite the warning bells going off in your head you cleared your throat and shoved him backwards. “I said, you should pull the stick out of your ass. Obviously it's gone way too far up to be enjoyable.”

      He didn't say a word but everything about him screamed that he was furious with you now. Tightening his hold on your arm he stormed off back into the village, dragging you behind him. People you passed on the street sent the pair of you questioning looks but no one said anything, some ninja who knew Kakashi sent you pitying looks but otherwise moved out of the way. When he finally released his grip you were standing in what you assumed to be a training field. Without warning he jumped at you and shoved you backwards forcefully. Your body flew through the air for a few seconds before crashing into the ground, effectively sending all of the oxygen out of your lungs and leaving you struggling for breath.

      “Next time you feel like mouthing off to someone, make sure they aren't stronger then you. Or in charge of training you.” You couldn't respond as you curled into a ball, gasping for air. “Get up.” It took a couple of minutes before you could finally breath somewhat normally and you slowly rose to your feet. Instead of cowering in fear you felt your anger deepen and a strange sense of excitement strum through your veins. You positioned your body so that you were now mirroring Kakashi's fighting stance and waited for him to make the first move. You didn’t have to wait long, because as soon as you were in position he charged at you. He swung his fist at your chest so fast that you barely managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid being hit. His attacks came surprisingly fast and you grit your teeth in frustration at being put on the defensive, not seeing an opening to land a hit of your own.

      _What the Hell is going on? This doesn't seem like training, he legitimately wants to hurt me right now._ He appeared behind you and his elbow made contact with your back painfully making you stumble forward at the force. _Fuck this. If that's how he wants to play then fine by me. Let’s see how he likes it._ Jumping away from him you spun around mid air so that he was in front of you once more when you landed. The two of you rushed at each other at the same time, but this time when he swung at you you grabbed his hand with yours and dug your nails into his flesh, feeling your nails extend into sharpened claws again. He ripped his hand away from yours but in the process your claws sliced open his skin and rivulets of blood trickled out of the fresh wounds, the metallic scent of blood wafting into your nostrils. The sight and smell of his blood mixed with his ragged breathing and fast beating heart triggered something carnal inside of you, like a predator toying with its wounded prey. _What-what is this feeling? Why do I like it so much? And why do I want more?_ Your body was practically vibrating with excitement and started to move on its own, advancing on Kakashi faster then you thought you could move. Your movements were sloppy and you could only focus on one thing, you needed to kill him. You registered the sound of someone giggling as you swiped your claws at him, barely missing his jugular. In shock you realised the sound was coming from you, but the momentary realization was enough to halt your body. _No. I don’t want to kill him! What am I doing?_! You watched with wide eyes as he crouched low to the ground, panting and hurt. _Wait…If I can influence him to want me romantically with my pheromones, can I be making him be act like this? Shit shit shit! He was fine until I saw Danzo wasn’t he? Damn it! What am I supposed to do?_ As if a lightbulb went off in your head, you reached into your pocket quickly and pulled out one of the blockers Tsume gave you. Shoving one into your mouth you crushed it between your teeth and swallowed the remnants of the bitter pill. Your face screwed up in disgust at the taste as you waited with bated breath to see if you were right. As you studied him nervously, you felt relief wash over you as soon as his shoulders relaxed and he got to his feet. He shook his head slowly, as if he was trying to clear his mind.

      “K-Kakashi?”

      “(Y/N)? Oh no… Are you alright?!”

      “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” Tears stung your eyes and spilled down your (s/c) cheeks.

      “No it is-"

      “Yes. It is. I dosed you again but this time it was anger.” You choked out through your tears. “I’m so sorry.” You wrapped your arms around your torso and hugged yourself as you hung your head in shame.

      “I’m okay now, it's alright (Y/N). At least now I know you can fight. Seeing as we're here already, how about we spar properly? I still need to see just how good you are at hand to hand combat.”

      Your head shot up and you looked at him like he was crazy. “But I-"

      “No buts. I’m going to have to wrap my hand first though.” He reached his uninjured hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a roll of gauze. He tilted his head to the side before holding it out to you. “I’m going to need you to wrap it for me.”

      “O-okay.” You sniffled before slowly walking towards him. Taking the pristine white material from his outstretched hand you very gently took hold of his bleeding hand. As carefully as you could manage you wrapped the bandage around his wound, wincing as blood seeped through the first two layers.

      “In the shinobi world people are bound to get hurt, it comes with the territory. This is going to heal in no time. It's not going to kill me and I don’t think it's even that deep.” He flexed his hand and waited until you looked into his eye and nodded before continuing, “good. Now, get into position. I want you to come at me and give it everything you've got.” He jumped back and waited for you to get into position again before motioning for you to start.

      Obeying his silent command you ran towards him, guilt still gnawing at you. Pulling your fist back you aimed at his face but he brought up his arm and easily blocked you. You continued pulling your punches in fear of hurting him again. Growing annoyed at your weak attacks, Kakashi's leg shot out and he swiped your feet out from under you. Your body hit the ground with a soft ‘thud' and as you lay on your back you admired the clear blue sky above you. Your brief moment of peace was interrupted when Kakashi came to stand above you.

      “You were holding back.” He stated as he helped you to your feet.

      “Maybe a little.” You shrugged and wiped the dirt off your clothes.

      “A little huh?”

     You gave a small noncommittal noise as you stretched your arms above your head and cracked your back.

      “I see.” He sighed. “I guess I’ll have to tell Lord Third that you don't have the strength or skills for taijutsu. Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped if you’re too weak.” His goading worked like a charm. In an instant the guilt you felt vanished and was replaced by a burning desire to prove him wrong.

      “I am not weak!” Flames danced in your (e/c) eyes as you placed your hands on your hips.

      “Prove it.”

      Kakashi wasn't expecting the sudden burst of speed that came from you as you ran at him so when your shoulder made contact with his side he went flying backwards, unable to dodge in time. In seconds you were standing over him with your foot raised. As you brought your foot down with all of the strength you could muster, he rolled out of the way and your foot hit the ground instead of his stomach. The force of your foot created a small crater about two feet in diameter in the dirt. Both sets of eyes widened at the newly formed hole. _Thank God he rolled out of the way. I didn’t know I could do that._ Shocked and impressed with your strength you rounded on him again with a newfound energy. Deciding to try something different you pulled back your arm and tried to slam your open palm into his chest but he caught your wrist centimeters before you could make contact.

      “You were even stronger when we were fighting before, what happened?”

      “I don’t know,” your voice was strained as the two of you kept up your violent dance, “I was beyond pissed off and just wanted to hurt you.” _He doesn’t even sound tired, how much stamina does he have?!_ You growled in pain as his fist collided with your stomach.

      “Get angry. See if you can focus it just enough to help you fight.”

      “I ca-can't just g-get angry o-on cue.” You were full on panting now, your lungs burning as his assault continued.

      “Think about what made you so mad in the first place. Channel that anger but don't let it consume you.”

      _Yeah that sounds easy…_ You scoffed internally but images of Danzo filled your mind before you could stop it and you felt the familiar rage bubble inside of you. Lethal claws extended from your fingertips once again and all of your senses focused only on your sparring partner, drowning everything else out. _Kill him! Tear his throat out and let his hot blood soak into your skin!_ The growl that ripped its way out of you was purely animalistic, no trace of humanity at all. Shaking the bloodthirsty thoughts from your mind you reminded yourself that the man in front of you was innocent and only trying to help you, having done nothing to deserve your hate. _No! Kakashi is my friend! I won't hurt him again!_ The thoughts dimmed enough that you were sure you wouldn’t try to kill him again and you took the opportunity to pounce. Just like before, your movements increased in speed and it was easier to land hits on the male.

      “G-good! Just li-like that!” He was finally beginning to tire and you felt a tiny spark of pride at knowing you were responsible.

      He raised his leg to kick you and you smiled widely as an idea popped into your head. His eye filled with trepidation at the look on your face but it was too late, as soon as his leg was within reach you grabbed his ankle with both hands and spun him around before flinging him away. As his body soared through the air you ran as fast as you could and sprang up, grabbing hold of his body before he hit the ground. Hoisting yourself on top of his body you held onto his arms to stop him from retaliating. The added weight sent his body crashing down even faster and his body slid across the ground. When he finally stopped moving you had him pinned and smirked down at him. Leaning down until your noses were touching you laughed.

      “Still think I’m weak?”

      He struggled to shove you off but gave up after a minute, realizing that you weren’t budging. “You’re definitely not weak.” He chuckled lightheartedly as you got off of him, accepting your help to stand. Feeling your anger dissipate you laughed along with him before frowning suddenly. “What's wrong?”

      “We're not alone.” You turned your head to the right and sniffed at the air. “You can come out not.” You called out to the trees.

      Three figures emerged, having the decency to look embarrassed at having been caught spying.

      “What are you guys doing here?” Kakashi questioned as they drew closer.

      “Oh, well, we heard from some of the villagers that you were seen dragging a young girl to the training grounds so we thought we'd see what was going on.” Asuma explained as he lit a cigarette. “I’m glad we came, that was quite a show.”

      “I had no idea you could fight like that (Y/N). That was amazing.” Kurenai's red eyes crinkled as she smiled at you.

       “It really wasn't anything special…” Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

      “Nothing special?” Guy scoffed, shaking his head and grinning. “You managed to take down Kakashi. That’s not an easy thing to do.” He gave you a thumbs up as his smile grew, his pearly white teeth nearly blinding you. “You’re in the springtime of your youth! Keep up with your training and one day you might even be able to beat me!”

      “Oh-erm- thank you?”

      “Seeing as you’re all here now, we might as well keep training.” Kakashi suggested causing you to groan.

      “More training? Can't I take a break? My body hurts all over.” It was true. After you finally calmed down, every hit that Kakashi made during your sparring session throbbed and burned painfully.

       “Don't worry, I’ll take over from here. It won't be as physical.” Kurenai laughed as your face lit up in excitement.

      “What are you going to teach me?” You didn’t notice the three males move to sit in the shade of a tree as you bounced up and down on the balls of your feet.

      “I’ll be going over ninjutsu with you. Do you know what that is?”

      “The manipulation of ones chakra, most of the time requiring hand seals to perform.”

      “So you have the basic understanding of it. Good. That makes this a little easier.” She sat cross-legged on the ground and you followed suit. “Because you're situation is a lot different then most people we're going to start by determining what chakra affinity you have.” Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a few pieces of blank paper. “This is chakra induction paper. I want you to hold it between your fingers and focus just a little bit of chakra into it.”

      Taking the paper from her you did as instructed. Willing a small amount of your chakra into your fingertips you watched in confusion as the paper slowly turned black, as if someone had spilled ink across it, and crumbled into tiny pieces. As the pieces continued breaking apart you glanced up at Kurenai and watched as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, your heart sinking as you knew she didn't know what was happening either. The feeling of silk wrapping around your hand drew your attention back down and your mouth fell open at the strange sight. The paper had disintegrated completely and now looked like smoke as it coiled itself around your hand, tendrils of the darkest black you had ever seen flicking at your skin. A light breeze blew by, taking the smoke with it as it left. Kurenai sat speechless as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

      “Can I- can I try again?”

      “That might be a good idea.” She handed you another piece of paper. Taking a deep breath you hoped that this one would turn out normal. Relief washed over you as the paper lit on fire and turned to ash. _Sweet, fire!_ “I wonder…” The older woman mumbled to herself as she deliberated something. Her gaze was calculating as she stared at you before handing you another piece.

      “Another one?”

      “I just want to see something. Humour me.” Her smile was kind but you saw the worry deep in her eyes.

      Deciding not to argue you took the new piece and repeated your actions. This time it darkened slightly as it dampened. _Water too? Awesome!_ Kurenai ‘hmm'd' quietly to herself as she offered yet another paper. _She wants to see how many different affinities I have, but why? Obviously it has to do with what happened the first time but she looked just as confused as me. Wait… Kakashi told the Hokage that there's something else inside of me, could that have something to do with this?_ Groaning internally at the situation you were barely paying attention as the paper wrinkled. _Lightning. I wonder which one will be next._ You were right, the next one split in two and the final one crumbled away as it turned to dirt.

      “You have all five affinities.” Kurenai sat back, shocked. “No-one has ever had all five without training, and even then it's extremely rare.”

      “What was the first one?”

      “I’m not sure. We'll have to talk to Lord Third and see if he knows anything. For now though we're going to work on some basic ninjutsu.” Standing up she motioned for you to as well. “First I think we'll try the transformation jutsu. This jutsu let’s you transform into anyone and anything you want but right now I want you to turn into me.” She explained the necessary steps and showed you the proper hand signs before giving you a demonstration. A puff of smoke surrounded her before dissipating, leaving a perfect copy of you standing where she had been. Seeing a living, breathing replica of yourself made you uncomfortable but before your self esteem could take a hit from you trying to find flaws due to the new angle of seeing yourself, Kurenai turned back into herself. “Think you can do that?”

      Taking a deep breath you nodded and focused on the hand signs. _Dog-boar-ram_. There was a puff of smoke and you suddenly felt a few inches shorter. The woman standing opposite you clasped her hands together as she beamed with pride.

      “That was excellent! I didn’t think you’d be able to transform this perfectly on the first try! If you keep this up we won't have to train for very long!”

**Time Skip**

      Through Kurenai's teaching, you were able to master all of the basic ninjutsu skills she taught you in less then two hours. The following two hours were spent learning with Guy and Asuma. Guy's lesson was all about showing you the proper beginners techniques of taijutsu; how to block, when to strike, how to take a hit, and how to balance your strength when attacking so that you didn't inadvertently harm yourself. Asuma's time was spent teaching you how to use kunai and shuriken and working on your accuracy. By the time they let you go, all of your muscles were screaming at you to rest and your head was pounding. Despite how exhausted you were feeling, you were excited at how much you learned and how all of it seemed to come naturally to you. The four jonin bid you farewell as you parted ways, them having to report to the Hokage and you going home to shower and sleep.

      Winding your way through the bustling streets of Konoha you enjoyed the feeling of the warm sun on your skin and the sounds of the villagers going about their day. You were halfway back to your apartment when your head started feeling fuzzy and you swayed on your feet before your legs gave out. Too tired to brace yourself you accepted your fate and waited for your body to hit the ground, but instead of pain you felt two hands wrap around your waist and pull you up. Turning your head slowly you smiled lazily at your rescuer.

      “Hey Shik-k-k-k-kaku. What’s up?” You slurred as your eyes went in and out of focus.

      “Are you drunk?” He sounded unimpressed with your current state.

      “Drunk? Noooo. I’m too young for that ya know. I was doing the thing with the cool people. I like them, they’re fun!”

      “The thing? With the cool people?” He sighed, steadying you as you almost fell again.

      “Yeah! The stuff that’s all ‘pow’, and ‘crack', and ‘ouch', and poking trees ‘n stuff with sharp pointy thingamabobs!”

      “Are you- are you talking about training?”

      “Yeah, that thing!” Shikaku cringed and his cheeks heated up as people stared disapprovingly at the sound of you yelling.

      “So you were training. Who were you with?”

      “Um… the pretty red eyed woman and her boyfriend,” you gasped dramatically and put your finger over the flustered males mouth, “but shh! They don’t know I know they’re together so that’s our little secret, mmkay? Oh! And the copy kitty was there. So was the green guy. His hair is sooo shiny! How is it so shiny?”

      “Come on, I’m taking you home, you obviously overdid your training and need rest. Where do you live?” Shikaku was torn between concern and amusement at your current behaviour and it took everything he had to keep a straight face.

      “Huh? Ohhh I live where the other orphans live. It's that way… I think.” You waved your hand in the opposite direction of where the apartments actually were.

      “Hmm.” Shikaku hummed quietly as he shook his head. Without warning he scooped you up and held you bridal style close to his chest.

      “Watcha doin'?” You squeaked out as you subconsciously leaned into his body, enjoying the rhythmic beating of his heart.

      “I don’t trust that you’ll be able to walk without hurting yourself so this is safer. And faster.”

      “Okayyy.” Shifting your body you watched his face as he maneuvered his way down the streets. Thinking you were being sneaky you raised your arm and poked his nose softly. “Boop.” You erupted into a fit of giggles as he deadpanned at your actions.

      “Troublesome woman.”

      “Hey that’s not very nice! Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you can be mean!”

      “Yet you can poke my face?” You were too out of it to notice how red his face became at the compliment.

      “That- that was a sign of affection! Cause I like you.”

      “Affection…?” His steps faltered as he looked down at you.

      “Oh no! Don’t tell your wife I said that!” “My wife passed away a few years ago.” His tone was clipped at the unpleasant reminder.

      “What? But I thought-,” you shook your head in a brief moment of clarity, “I’m so sorry.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

      He cleared his throat, “don’t be. You didn’t know.”

      “How did she…?” You questioned softly.

      “She got sick and her body didn’t respond to the treatments.” He sighed as he came to a stop. “Which one is yours?”

      You thought hard for a minute, “top floor, far left.”

      Shikaku opened your door, brought you inside, and placed you gently on your bed. “Get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up.”

      As he turned to leave you shot up and scrambled over to him, grabbing his arm to stop him. He turned his head to look at you curiously but before he could speak you had stood on your tiptoes and placed both hands on either side of his face. Pulling him down close to you, you tried kissing his cheek but in your delirious state you managed to kiss the corner of his lips.

      “Thanks for taking me home. You’re really nice, ya know?. We should…hang out…some-.” Before you could finish your sentence your eyes rolled back and your body went limp as exhaustion finally claimed you and you passed out.

      When you eventually came to, you were nestled cozily under your blanket and the sun had already begun to set. Stretching your arms above your head, you got a whiff of yourself and grimaced.

      “Man I stink. I need a shower.” Mumbling to yourself as you tossed the blanket aside you made your way to the bathroom, spotting your shopping bags from the other day on the little kitchen table as you went. “Did Kakashi bring them when he came looking for me?” A small smile formed on your face at the kind gesture. Rummaging through the bags you pulled out the necessary items for your shower, as well as a clean outfit. “Wait, I bought groceries too. He didn’t…” Trailing off you moved to the fridge and opened it, your smile growing when you saw all the food had been put away. “What a sweetheart. I should do something nice for him.” Debating on what you could do for him, you closed the fridge and carried the bathing items with you to the bathroom. “Right. Only a bathtub. Eh a hot soak will be nice.” As the tub filled with water you went back to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, devouring it in record time. Throwing the core into the trashcan you started peeling your grime covered clothes off of your body as you went back to the bathroom. Leaving them in a pile on the floor to deal with later you turned the taps off and eased yourself into the tub. An almost sexual moan escaped your lips as the hot water enveloped your body.

      The first half hour you spent relaxing in the water, your eyes closed and mind blank before deciding you should actually get clean. As you scrubbed every inch of your body a look of confusion plastered itself across your face. _How did I get home? Everything's a blur after I left the others._ Images of a man with a goatee and two scars on his face carrying you flashed through your mind. _Right! Shikaku brought me back. I wonder if we talked at all._ Shrugging at the lack of memories from your encounter you finished up your bath. After drying off you took your time getting dressed, content with taking your time. You had on a pair of red shorts with grey cuffs that ended halfway down to your knees and a black, long sleeved off the shoulder top with five red buttons going down the front right side. Tousling your damp locks as you exited the bathroom you glanced at the clock on the wall. _Just after six. Hmm what should I do? I’m still hungry but I don’t feel like cooking. I guess I can go out for supper and then explore the village some more._ Slipping on a pair of sandals you grabbed your wallet and house key, locking the door behind you as you left. On the way to Ichiraku’s you passed by an empty playground and a childish sense of glee filled you. Making sure no-one was watching, you ran to the swings and hopped on. The wind blew past you as you pumped your legs happily, going higher and higher. Leaning back you allowed your eyes to drift shut. As the swing slowed down you heard the faint sound of someone trying to stifle their giggling. Placing your feet on the ground you stopped the swing completely and opened your eyes, looking in the direction you heard the person.

      “It's not very nice to spy on people.” The person slowly moved out from behind a tree, ruffling his spiky blonde hair as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Why were you watching me?”

      “I- well um…I saw you move into the apartment next to mine and I got curious. My name's Naruto Uzumaki.” The tips of his ears were red as he basically admitted to spying on you but his body language was guarded, as if he expected you to snap at him and tell him to get lost.

      Your heart ached for the young boy, you knew he was used to that kind of treatment from the other villagers. “Naruto huh?” _You're even more adorable in person!_ “I’m (Y/N) (L/N), it's nice to meet you.” His face lit up like a Christmas tree and the biggest smile you had ever seen stretched across his lips.

      “I’ve never seen you around Konoha before, are you new?” He stepped close enough that you saw the whisker markings on his face in great detail.

      “Yeah. I’ve only been here for a couple of days.” Your stomach growled hungrily and you chuckled in embarrassment. “Sorry, I was actually on my way to get something to eat but I saw the playground and got distracted.” An idea popped into your head, “do you want to come with me?”

      Big blue eyes widened at your offer before his face fell. “I-I don’t have any money.”

      “It's my treat.” _Like Hell I’m letting you go hungry._ “Come on, I know this ramen place. It's unbelievably good.” You took hold of his hand and practically started dragging him along behind you. He dug his feet into the ground and you turned to look at him, frowning when you saw his eyes brimming with tears. “What’s wrong?”

      “Why are you being so nice to me? Everyone around here treats me like a monster.” The hurt in his voice was clear and you felt anger and protectiveness at his confession.

      “Because you’re my friend, Naruto. I don't care what anyone else thinks about you or says about you. You've got such a big heart and anyone who can't see just how amazing you really are is an idiot and they don't deserve to be in the same space as you. And I-,” you paused for a moment and took a shaky breath, “I know how it feels to always be alone. To always wonder what's so wrong with you that people avoid you or go out of their way to hurt you. But the truth is, there isn't a single thing wrong with you and you haven’t done anything wrong. It took me a long time to find that out for myself and I hope that one day you can see it too.”

      Tears fell from Naruto's eyes as you spoke and you soon found your arms wrapped around the shorter boy as he held on to you. Rubbing soothing circles on his back, you let him cry into your shoulder. You didn’t know how long the two of you stood like that but you didn’t care. He needed this type of human contact and you were more than happy to oblige. When his sobs died down he slowly pulled away from you and wiped the remaining tears from his face.

      “Now, I’m starving and I don't want to eat alone. Will you come with me?”

      “S-sure.” Light returned to his eyes as you smiled at him and resumed walking. “Can I ask you something?”

      “Go ahead.” “What did you mean when you said you know what it's like being alone?”

      You sighed and smiled sadly, having expected this question and prepared a modified answer that wouldn’t give away where you came from. “Well, I never knew my parents. I don’t know if they died after I was born or if they gave me away. I was taken to an orphanage and raised with a bunch of other kids, too many really. The people in charge of us didn’t have time for all of us so I pretty much raised myself. As soon as I could read I spent my time reading all the books I could find and learning about a whole bunch of different things. All of the other kids there would pick on me and tease me all the time because I was different, I preferred reading and learning to playing. At first it wasn’t so bad, just name calling and blaming me for things they did when they got in trouble. But when I was six we were all taken to the beach for a day in the summer. I wasn’t allowed to bring my books so I had to play with the others. Some of the older kids said they wanted to go exploring and asked if I wanted to come. I didn’t want to but I knew I’d get in trouble if I said no so I went with them. The beach we went to had cliffs for people to jump off of into the water but there were cliffs that were marked as unsafe that nobody was supposed to dive from. The older kids took me to one of the dangerous cliffs and promised me that we wouldn’t get in trouble. I remember panicking and telling them I wanted to go back but they started calling me a baby and backing me up towards the edge of the cliff. I begged them to let me go but they wouldn’t. The oldest of them came up to me and told me that no-one wanted me around because I was a freak, that even the adults wished I would run away. He ended up shoving me off the cliff but I was lucky and only hit one of the jagged rocks at the bottom. I still have the scar on my back from where a rock sliced it open. I don't know how I made it back to the shore but when I did the group told the adults that I had run off and they couldn’t find me.”

      “They didn’t believe them did they?!” Naruto's face was a mask of pure horror.

      “They did. But some people saw what actually happened and came forward. After that I was sent to a new orphanage, this one was slightly better. One of the ladies in charge was impressed with how quickly I learned things that even adults struggled with so she had my I.Q tested. When it came back that I scored genius levels I was sent to a special school. Even though I was surrounded by people just like me I was bullied constantly just for being an orphan. I had no friends and no family to turn to. A few years went by and I finally made a couple of new friends, Blaine and Stephanie. Blaine and I did everything together and I was so happy to finally not be alone that I overlooked some of the comments he made and a few of the cruel things he did to me. I told Stephanie everything, all of my hopes and dreams, my fears. She was like a sister to me but it didn’t last. Eventually both of them left me and when they did it felt like a little piece of me died too.” _Technically a BIG piece, but he doesn't need to know that._ Naruto simply stared at you with a mix of pity and anger. Shaking your head softly you reached out and poked his nose, a strange sense of déjà vu coming over you. “That’s all in the past, I’m fine now.”

      “But I- that- how are you-.”

      “Naruto stop. I didn’t tell you that so you would feel sorry for me. You asked me a question and I answered honestly.” Truthfully it still hurt whenever you thought of your past, which is why you avoided thinking of it at all. You knew how unhealthy repressing things could be but you weren’t about to burden the twelve year old with your problems.

      Thankfully he dropped the subject and started talking about himself telling you things you already knew, but you acted like it was all new to you anyway. The walk was going well, both of you smiling and laughing together, until the not so whispered comments from the villagers assaulted your ears. Naruto's face fell and your big sister instincts kicked in, immediately wrapping an arm around his shoulders and glaring at everyone insulting him.

      “Hey Naruto?”

      “Hmm?”

      “Don’t you think it's pathetic how a lot of adults think it's fun to gossip about kids? I mean, their lives must be really boring if they have nothing better to do.” You intentionally raised your voice just loud enough so that you’d be easily heard, but not so loud that you were shouting. He was quick to agree and it seemed like his good mood was returning as he shot you a grateful smile.

      By the time you finally walked into Ichiraku's your stomach was clenching painfully and all you could think about was how you were definitely going to start carrying snacks around, especially if there was even the slightest possibility of training. The delicious smells coming from the kitchen and filling the small restaurant had your mouth watering in anticipation and as you glanced at Naruto you could tell he felt the same way.

      Many bowls of ramen later you and your new friend had left the restaurant, your wallet feeling much lighter in your pocket but your bellies uncomfortably full. You decided to walk back to your apartments together, talking amongst yourselves the whole way.

      When you finally arrived at your shared floor, Naruto turned to face you. “Hey (Y/N)?”

      “Yeah?”

      “Thanks for today. I had fun. I’ll pay you back for the food, believe it!”

      You snorted and ruffled his hair. “I had fun too. Don’t worry about paying me back, I told you it was my treat.”

      “Can we maybe hang out again sometime?” His voice was soft, as if he expected you to say no.

      “Of course! What kind of friends never hang out?” You yawned for the thousandth time that night. “But right now I really need to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

      “Uh hu! G'night.”

      “Night Naruto.” Stepping inside your humble abode you made sure to lock the door behind you before crawling into bed, not bothering to change first. Snuggling into the mattress you cocooned yourself inside of your blanket and closed your eyes. As you waited for sleep to claim you, your brain decided that now was the perfect moment for you to remember what happened after your training session. Your eyes flew open and all the colour drained from your face. “Oh-oh no. Did I seriously kiss Shikaku fucking Nara?!”


	6. Chapter 6

      Sleep didn’t come easy to you after your brain rudely decided to replay the embarrassing time you spent with Shikaku over and over again. Huffing angrily you gave up on trying to fall asleep and decided to go for a walk to see if that would help you relax. The cool night air felt nice against your flushed skin while the light from the moon cast an ethereal glow on the darkened buildings, filling you with a sense of tranquility. The usual lively streets were dead silent, which you normally would have welcomed but this time something just didn’t feel right. You stopped walking and strained your ears in an attempt to hear even the slightest noise but there was nothing, not even the buzzing of insects. Bringing your hands together you clapped loudly but no sound came from the motion. As you started panicking that maybe you had gone deaf, a morose sounding howl came from in front of you sending chills down your spine. Against your better judgment you ran towards the noise and skidded to a stop as an enormous wolf padded out from a dark alley directly ahead of you, it's grey and white fur rippling in the breeze. Standing almost nine feet tall its body was massive and by looking at it you guessed it weighed around seven hundred pounds. The creature sniffed the air and you froze as it turned its head to stare at you with glowing amber eyes. In your panic you did the dumbest thing you could do when faced with such a large predator, you turned around and ran. The world around you was a blur as you made your escape but hot breath on the back of your neck let you know that the wolf was right behind you. The buildings seemed to warp and bend all around you and as you rounded a corner it was as if you had run straight out of Konoha and into a new village. You were running on a worn down dirt path through the woods and every couple of minutes you passed by small shacks hidden between the trees. Barely any moonlight filtered down through the trees and you were thankful for your enhanced vision as you kept running despite your lungs screaming for oxygen. All of a sudden the woods disappeared and you were running to the top of a grass covered hill. You barely reached the top before collapsing, confused and more tired than ever. Your ears popped and instantly your hearing returned, your laboured breathing the first thing you could hear.

       “Why did you run?” A melodic feminine voice questioned.

     “Th-there was a-a wolf chase-chasing me.” You rested on your hands and knees as you caught your breath.

      “His intention was not to harm you.”

       “How d-do you kn-know that?”

      “I am the one who sent him to fetch you. He has been waiting much too long to meet you. It would have been much more expeditious had you simply ridden him.”

      “What do you mean ‘sent him'? And why the Hell would I have ridden him? Who in their right mind would even **think** about riding a wild wolf?! I mean really, whose first instinct is ‘this is a huge, dangerous beast and I need to ride it'?!” The adrenaline from earlier was starting to wane as you rose to your feet, your arms waving around comically as you tried to make your point.

      “Are you quite finished?” The mysterious woman placed her hand on the unnaturally large animal as it sat beside her, both sets of eyes shining with annoyance.

      “No. Another thing, what the Hell is going on here? Where are we? And who are you?”

      She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You are here because I wished to speak with you. I am disappointed that you do not seem to understand that you are in a dream, I had hoped you would be intelligent enough to have figured at least that much out by now. Who I am is irrelevant at this moment but know that this is not my true form, I have simply chosen the appearance of a woman who sought me out many lifetimes ago.”

      “So what does that make you?” You ignored the jab at your intelligence.

      “I am the reason you have the talents you possess.”

      “What does that mean?”

      “I have been watching you from the moment you arrived in this world, I know you have been told the legend of the wolf clan. Unfortunately most of the facts have been forgotten as the years passed, however you will find the answers you seek scattered throughout three nations.”

      You let her words sink in, your mind a buzz with the thought that somewhere in the world there was information that could help you find out just who you are. “You’re saying that you’re the moon… How exactly does that work?”

      “I do not claim to be the moon. As I told you, the facts have been forgotten. It is up to you to find the truth for yourself.” Her wild mane of (h/c) hair swished behind her as she stepped closer.

      “Okay… so you’re not the moon but you’re responsible for whatever is wrong with me?”

      “There is nothing wrong with you. You simply possess power that others can only dream of, powers that you must learn to utilize not only for your own sake but for others as well.” As if knowing what you were about to ask she raised her finger and shook her head. “I have nothing to do with the rage inside of you, that is courtesy of your ancestry. Our time together will be ending shortly and there are some things we have yet to discuss. It is unfortunate that you are the last of your clan, they should have been the ones to teach you about all of this. It can't be helped I suppose. However if you had attempted to use the gifts I had bestowed upon your family this would have been clearer for you.”

      “How was I supposed to do that? I don't even know what’s happening to me.”

      “I am aware. A portion of my omnipotence resides in you, more so than anyone else has ever been given.”

      “So what happened with the chakra paper…”

      “Was in response to your power, yes.”

      “But what does that mean? Why did it do that?”

      “The power of a God was never meant for mortals or their devices.”

      Your mouth gaped open at this revelation. “I have the power of a God?!”

      A pained look crossed her delicate features and it looked like she wanted to tell you something before deciding against it and sighing. “You will find that there are many things you can do that the shinobi in your world cannot.” Holding her arm out in front of her she flattened her hand and you watched in excitement as a single cutting of a light purple flower appeared on her palm.

      “How did you do that?”

      “I simply willed it to be. With practice you will be able to achieve this and much more. The ability to create and destroy will come naturally to you in time.”

      “How do I do that?” You nodded to the flower with a grin plastered across your face.

      Chuckling at your eagerness she shook her head kindly. “Concentrate on what you wish to create and it should appear. You will need to practice with something small otherwise you may overexert yourself and the consequences for that can be fatal.”

      Your gleeful squealing elicited a full on laugh from the woman and even the wolf snorted at your actions. “Hang on,” you shifted your gaze from the two beings in front of you, “what did you mean when you said he's been waiting to meet me?”

      “Ah yes, I suppose you would not know of that custom. The clan you are descended from has always been different than others, they respected nature and all living creatures in a way none other ever had. To them, everything was equal in the world, it mattered not if they were human or beast. He,” she motioned to the animal, “is one of the last of his kind. A very special type of wolf, a blood wolf. They were feared because of their unnatural strength and agility, but most of all due to their supernatural ability to travel any distance – great or small – in the blink of an eye.

      “Long ago humans believed that to consume the blood and flesh of these wolves would grant them greater strength in battle so they were hunted and slaughtered mercilessly. One of your ancestors happened to find a group of humans drawing near to their den with ill intent. She rushed to the den before the group and due to the close relationship with nature the clan possessed, the wolves trusted her and made their escape. Unfortunately the youngest pups and the eldest among the pack were unable to depart before the humans arrived and were ultimately left defenseless. Despite her attempts to sway the hunters, they proceeded to attack but before they could harm a single wolf she blocked their path. She fought valiantly and managed to kill the humans but was mortally wounded in the process. It was too late for her by the time members of her clan found her, surrounded by the wolves she gave her life to protect. In response to her selflessness the pack pledged their lives to the clan, cohabiting and fighting alongside them.”

      “Holy shit.”

      “Such crass language. You have felt the connection to nature passed down to you haven’t you?”

      “I-I think so. Especially with dogs.”

      “Excellent. That will make the bonding process easier.”

      “How am I supposed to explain a gigantic wolf appearing tomorrow?!”

      “You won't.”

      “What?! People are going to freak out!”

      “He won't be coming with you just yet. The next time you meet him he will be much smaller, still a pup.”

      “Oh… Does he have a name?” You decided not to question the God before you as you creeped closer to the wolf.

      “Not yet. That will be left for you to choose when the time comes.” She watched you interact with the animal, a smile appearing on her face.

      “Hey boy. You’re handsome, aren't you?” You ran your fingers through his soft fur while he yipped happily. “I can't wait to meet you again.” His bowed his large head down and pressed his cold nose against yours. The world around you began fading away and the woman rested her hand on your shoulder.

      “It seems you are waking. Remember what I told you.”

      “But I – will I see you again?”

      “Perhaps one day should the need arise. Here, a parting gift. I have always enjoyed the human custom of giving flowers meanings.” She held the flower out to you, the silky petals brushing against you as you gingerly took it between your fingers. “One last piece of advice: protect the fox and keep him close, help guide him on his path and in return he shall do the same for you.”

      “The fox? Do you mean –,” the dream world faded away only to be replaced by a bright light, “Naruto?”

      “Hey (Y/N)!” An energetic voice sounded from above you.

      “Naruto? What are you doi –,” a yawn escaped your lips as you opened your tired eyes, “doing here?”

      “I thought we could hang out today!” Sitting up you rubbed your sleep ridden eyes, the form of your newest friend coming into focus.

      “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

      “Uhh…”

      “Did you seriously break in here and wake me up without having anything planned?” You deadpanned as he chuckled sheepishly.

      “I could…um…show you around the village? Oh! I can take you to my favourite spots! Or we could prank some people.” His eyes lit up at the last suggestion, a mischievous grin on his lips.

      “Sounds like fun.” You laughed at how excited he seemed.

      “What’s that?” Naruto nodded towards the flower in your hand.

      _Huh…I guess that was real. Sweet!_ “It's just a flower.”

      “Where'd you get it?”

      “I couldn't sleep last night so I went for a walk. I found it growing and thought it was pretty so I brought it back with me. I have to change and eat something before we go, are you hungry?” His stomach growled in response and you shook your head with a smile. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, I’ll make something for both of us.” The young boy practically had stars in his eyes as he followed you into the kitchen, surprised once again by your kind gesture.

**Time Skip**

      “This is one of my favourite spots in the village. I come here to think sometimes.” A breeze passed by the two of you, making the petals of the flower tucked behind your ear dance and sending his scent wafting towards you as he smiled sadly down at Konoha.

      “Wow Naruto. The view up here is amazing, you can see the whole village. I can see why you like it so much.” You squeezed his hand gently as you inhaled his scent. _That’s definitely ramen_ – your nose scrunched up just a bit – _and sweat. I think I smell jasmine too. That's not what I would have expected from him._ Noticing he was distracted by his thoughts you leaned in close to him and inhaled deeply, your eyes closing involuntarily. _What is that last scent…? I can't place my finger on it but whatever it is sort of reminds me of Kakashi, it's comforting. Like home. But I definitely don’t feel any romantic feelings for him. Eh whatever. It's nice._

      “Uh (Y/N), what are you doing?”

      Your eyes snapped open and you felt your face heat up. “I um I wasn’t – well you see the thing is –.” You groaned and face palmed. “I’m sorry. All of my senses are really strong and I caught your scent. I just wanted to…familiarize…myself with your scent. Just in case we end up going on missions together someday.” _I’ll tell you the full truth later…_

      Instead of looking disgusted, his face lit up. “Woah really? That's so cool! Are you an Inuzuka?”

      “No I’m not.”

      “That’s okay. There's one in my class but he's loud and really annoying.” The look on his face made you giggle.

      “Hey you two! What do you think you're doing up here?” Both of you turned in the direction the angry sounding voice came from and you saw two men wearing Konoha flak jackets looking pissed.

      “We aren’t doing anything!” Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the men.

      “Yeah, right. Probably gonna vandalize the Hokage Monument again.” One of the men sneered at the two of you. “You’re nothing but a nuisance to the village.”

      Looking at Naruto from the corner of your eye you watched as he clenched his fists and his face fell. “We aren't doing anything wrong so just leave us alone.” You jumped to his defense.

      “Shut it, brat. We're taking you two to Lord Third. He'll deal with your punishment.”

      “We didn’t do anything!” You could feel Naruto's irritation as he continued glaring.

      “Let's just go Naruto. They aren’t going to listen to us.”

      “But –.”

      “It's not worth it. Come on.” Wrapping your hand around his arm, you tugged gently. He let you pull him back and the two of you leaped down onto the stone faces and ran back towards the village, ignoring the shouts of the rude ninja as you went.

      “I think we lost them.” Naruto panted as the two of you stopped to catch your breath.

      “Do people treat you like that all the time?”

      “Yeah. I’m used to it though.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scuffed the ground with his toe. “But I’ll show them. I’m gonna be Hokage one day, believe it!”

      “You’ll make a great Hokage.” You spoke softly, offering him an encouraging smile.

      “(Y/N) (L/N)?” A bored sounding voice asked from behind you. Turning around you were greeted by the sight of a man with shoulder length brown hair, a senbon clenched between his teeth. “Lord Third wants to speak to you. Follow me.”

      “Leave her alone, she didn’t do anything!” Naruto was quick to put himself between you and the older male.

      “Relax Naruto, I have a pretty good guess what it's about. Let's just go with Genma.”

      Brown eyes gazed at you curiously as Genma raised one eyebrow, pushing the silver needle to the other side of his mouth. “How do you know my name?”

      “I make it a point to know the names of attractive men.” It slipped out before you could stop yourself. _The Hell was that?!_ “Anyway, shall we go? I’d hate to keep the Hokage waiting.” Naruto snickered at your flustered state, earning him an elbow to his side.

      Genma’s eyes roamed your body before walking away, signaling for you to follow. The blonde beside you started making kissy faces at you behind Genma's back and you felt your cheeks heat up even more. It felt like an eternity before you were finally standing alone in front of the Hokage, Naruto having been told to wait outside.

      “You wanted to see me sir?”

      “Yes. Yesterday I received reports regarding your training session. And the strange occurrences that have been happening to you.” You began to panic, fearing the worst. As horrible scenarios played through your mind he waved his hand dismissively. “You're not in trouble, although I am concerned at what this may mean. Kakashi told me about your meeting with Tsume. I have never heard anything of a clan like the one she spoke about, but it is possible they existed long ago.” After weighing your options you chose to be honest with the patient man.

      “I think the story is true. Well, at least partially.”

      “Oh? What makes you say that?” He tilted his head back and his eyes met yours.

      “I had a…dream last night.” You paused, “no, it was more like a visit?”

      “Who came to you?” His undivided attention was on you as you fully piqued his interest.

      “They didn’t tell me their name but they said they dealt with my clan in the past, the one from the Inuzuka's stories. They said that they gave the members of the clan a part of their power and that I have that power inside of me.”

      “I see.” He nodded his head thoughtfully. “Did they seem dangerous?”

      “No. They actually told me something. They told me to protect the fox and help guide him on his path.”

      “The fox?” Recognition flashed in his eyes.

      “I think they meant Naruto.”

      “What makes you say that?”

      “Kakashi did tell you about my visions, right?” At his curt nod you continued, “Naruto has been in them. I know what – no, **who** is inside of him.”

      “Hmm. How does that make you feel about him?” He studied you carefully as he awaited your response.

      “Proud. And protective. He's been alone his entire life because of something he had no say in. His parents sacrificed themselves for his safety and the safety of the entire village yet they treat him like a monster. He has gone through so much, way more than he ever should have, yet he keeps fighting to be accepted and acknowledged. Yes I admit he's going about it the wrong way, but he's just a kid. Not once has he wavered from his dream or let the horrible way he's treated turn him into the monster people claim he is.” After finishing your passionate speech Hiruzen was silent for a moment before chuckling.

      “I’m glad he has a friend like you in his life now, it will do him good.”

      “Th-thank you sir.”

      “Now, regarding these visions of yours. Kakashi told me that before your transformation the first time you saw the death of someone who you will become close with, was it only the one you saw?”

      “No. There were three.”

      He must have seen something in your eyes because he smiled sadly. “I see. May I ask who?”

      “Asuma, Jiraiya, and…you.”

      He didn’t question how you knew Jiraiya's name as he spoke solemnly. “Sometimes death is necessary in order for the world to move forward.” He didn’t say it, but you knew what he was getting at and you hung your head. “However, there may be certain circumstances that death should be prevented if at all possible.” He paused to let his words sink in. “I think it would be best if as few people knew of your visions as possible, do you understand?”

      “Of course.”

      “Good. Now based on what I have been told, and what I have seen, I believe that you would do well in the Academy. You will start tomorrow unless you have any objections?”

      “N-none. Thank you!” Your bubbly excitement caused him to chortle and shake his head.

      “I will inform your new teacher of the late addition to his class. If you find anymore information about your abilities please inform me as soon as possible. You are excused.” Bowing your head respectfully you managed to suppress the urge to skip out of his office and exit gracefully. Once the door closed behind you, your exhilarated squeal startled the napping jinchuriki awake.

      “It wasn't me! Oh it's just you. What did the old man want?” Naruto wiped a small bit of drool off of his face as he stood up.

      “He's letting me join the Academy!” In your excitement you threw your arms around the boy and hugged him tightly. Releasing him from your grip you grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the exit. “I feel like celebrating, let's go.”

**Time Skip**

      After spending a few hours together running around the village you and Naruto parted ways. You decided to wander around and check out the different shops that you hadn’t managed to visit yet. You caught the scent of various flowers on the wind and followed it down the street until you found yourself standing in front of a decent sized building with a pink sign attached to the awning above the door. _Yamanaka Flowers? That makes sense._ Venturing inside you were surrounded by flowers of all different shapes and colours, the smells overpowering for your sensitive nose.

      “Hi, welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. Can I help you with anything?” A friendly voice asked, light blue eyes sparking as her platinum blonde ponytail swayed behind her.

      “That’s alright, thank you. I’m just browsing.”

      “Is this your first time in here?”

      “Yeah, I’m new to Konoha. I thought I’d take a look at the different shops.” You peered around the store before looking back at the girl. “I have to say, these flowers are stunning.”

      “Thank you,” she beamed at the compliment, “my family has run this store for a very long time. Flowers are kind of our specialty. How long have you been in town?”

      “Only a few days, but I really like it here. Oh, my name is (Y/N) (L/N).”

      “I’m Ino Yamanaka. It's nice to meet you.” She took your extended hand in her own, shaking it gently. Her eyes drifted to the side of your head where the flower rested. “That's really pretty, where did you get it?”

      Absentmindedly you touched the soft petals. “A friend gave it to me.”

      “Huh…” Her lips pulled down into a frown.

      “What’s wrong?”

      “Did you guys have a fight?”

      “No, why?”

      “Do you know that flowers can have certain meanings?”

      “Yes…” You trailed off, waiting for her response.

      She paused as she bit her lip, her eyes gazing into your own before explaining, “well, that’s a purple hyacinth. It's the type of flower you would give to someone to express your sorrow or ask for their forgiveness.”


	7. Chapter 7

      “I can do this. There's no reason to be scared right now. I’m just walking into a room filled with people I don't know. And everyone's going to be staring at me.” Anxiety creeped up on you as you stood outside of your new classroom, smoothing down your shirt nervously. Before you could scare yourself anymore you raised your hand and knocked three times on the closed wooden door. Footsteps were heard before the door swung open revealing a tired looking man with a long horizontal scar across his nose.

    
      “Oh, hello. You must be my new student. My name is Iruka Umino but you can call me Iruka Sensei, come in.” Guiding you into the classroom he stopped at the front and all eyes were on you. “Class we have a new student joining us today, her name is (Y/N) (L/N). She's recently moved to our village so I hope all of you make her feel welcome.” As he was speaking you saw Naruto squirming in his seat as he waved frantically at you and Ino wave happily. You smiled at both of them as Iruka continued. “Would you like to say anything to the class (Y/N)?”

      “Um…it's nice to meet all of you.” You impressed yourself when your voice came out strong and unwavering.

      Iruka nodded at you with a smile. “You can sit next to…,” his eyes roamed the class looking for an open seat,” Sasuke or Shino.” 

      The choice was obvious to you as you walked through the students, passing by the grouchy looking Sasuke and sitting in the empty seat beside the bug loving boy. The girls in the room gasped audibly at your choice.

      “Why would she choose **him**?! He’s so creepy!”

      “At least she's not sitting next to **my** Sasuke!”

      “There's probably something wrong with her. I mean, he talks to bugs. It's gross!”

      “Sasuke would never go for a girl like that, she's too ugly. And he's so amazing!”

      Irritation bubbled up inside of you and you couldn’t help yourself from glaring at the girls and snapping. “Oh shut up! Stop acting like Sasuke is a freaking God or something. And bugs do more for this world then you ever will, all you airheads are doing is wasting precious oxygen so keep your traps closed!” The room went quiet as everyone processed your words but a loud snort from one of the males broke the silence. Soon a few of the boys were outright laughing at your remarks and the shocked expressions on the girls faces. 

      “That's enough!” Iruka slammed his fists down onto his desk, exasperation clear on his face. When he was sure no-one would interrupt him he continued the lesson. You tried to focus on him but a speck of movement on your desk caught your attention. A small black beetle scurried away from the boy sitting next to you and crawled onto your finger. Lifting your hand up to your face you smiled as it explored your skin, fluttering its little wings quickly before folding them back down. Four more beetles joined the first one and you had to bite your lip to stifle your giggles as their tiny legs tickled your skin. 

      “Hey there little ones. What’re you doing?” You kept your voice quiet in an effort to go unnoticed by the man at the front of the room. One of the beetles flew over to Shino's open palm causing him to turn his head in your direction after a moment.

      “They're attracted to your chakra.” Even as a whisper his voice seemed to resonate inside of you.

      “My chakra? These are kikaichu beetles right?”

      “Yes.” Trying to get a read on what he was thinking or feeling proved to be pointless, his voice remained monotone and the black frames of his circular glasses hid his eyes completely.

      “They eat chakra though. Are you saying they want mine?”

      There was a slight pause before he spoke again. “Yes.”

      “Huh.” You eyed the insects on your hand before an idea popped into your head. Focusing a small amount of chakra into your empty hand you rested it next to the beetles. You smiled sweetly at Shino as his insects flew to the offered chakra. “Nothing wrong with a little snack, right?” More beetles crawled out of his sleeves and began to feast on the new chakra.

      “You’re strange.” He didn’t try to stop his beetles, simply watched them swarm to you. Despite not being able to see his emotions you felt him tense up subtly, prepared to call them back if they went too far.

      “How so?” Your eyes flickered up to his face for a brief moment before turning back to the bugs.

      “It's because most people stay away from my clan due to our relationship with insects, but you don't seem to mind.”

      “Why would I mind? I meant what I said about insects being important for the world. They do so much for the environment, without them plants wouldn’t be able to grow. Besides, being able to use them to attack is pretty awesome.” The sincerity behind your words seemed to leave the young Aburame speechless and he chose to simply watch you interact with the beetles. You let them feed on your chakra for a few more minutes but once you stopped they all flew back up into his sleeve. _I wonder what it feels like when they go back into his body. Would it be rude to ask? Probably. Maybe after we get to know each other a bit more I can ask._ Leaning back in your chair you let your eyes wander while you surveyed the room. The majority of people in the room were unfamiliar and forgettable and you paid them no mind. As you looked around, soft lavender eyes filled with curiosity met your own. You quirked your eyebrows and smiled playfully at the young Hyuga as her face lit up and she quickly snapped her attention back to the teacher. Sakura and Ino had identical love struck looks plastered on their faces as they stared at Sasuke who was watching Iruka with a bored expression, the smell of a dog and the sound of a boy whispering behind you told you Kiba and Akamaru were doing their own thing, Choji was trying to snack on crunchy chips quietly (and failing badly), and Shikamaru had his head resting on his arms that were folded across his desk. A rush of heat flooded your body and you quickly looked away. Shino noticed the sudden colour on your face but mercifully didn’t say anything. 

      As you listened to Iruka explain… something, boredom crept up on you. Resting your face in your hand you sighed while the fingers on your other hand drummed against the wood surface in front of you. “Shino?” 

      “Hm?”

      “Can I borrow some paper please?” He didn’t respond but slid a few sheets of paper and a pencil over to you. “Thanks.” Twirling the pencil in your fingers you couldn’t think of anything to draw and everything Iruka was saying wasn’t worth writing down. A Cheshire grin grew on your face as an idea crossed your mind. Setting the pencil down, you picked up a piece of paper and began folding it until you were holding a paper airplane. Making sure Iruka wasn't looking at you, you held the white object in your palm and closed your eyes in concentration. Taking a deep breath you focused on the literal god-given power inside of you, drawing it out and willing it to surround the folded paper. Opening your eyes you smiled widely as you saw a familiar black smoke-like substance swirling around the plane. At your desk mate's sharp intake of breath you put your finger to your lips and shook your head. “Just watch.” 

      Testing out your control you made it hover above your palm, its wings flapping up and down. You locked your eyes on the bluish black hair of your target and snickered as you sent the plane flying into the back of Sasuke's head with much more force than necessary. You snorted in amusement as he turned his head slowly and picked up the now crumpled paper. His black eyes burned with anger as they made contact with your own, you knew he knew it had been you. You smiled as sweetly as you could manage and shrugged nonchalantly before fixing your gaze back on your teacher. _This is going to be a lot of fun._

**Time Skip**

      When school finally let out you found yourself walking out of the building with Naruto.

      “Why do we need to study so much?” The whiskered blonde groaned. “We should be learning jutsus not reading about boring history.”

      “History is important. Without-.” A hand wrapped around your arm and gripped you painfully.

      “Hey, new kid. What the hell is your problem?” 

      _Oh goody. Someone sounds butt hurt._ “Yeeees? Can I help you?”

      “I know it was you.” His grip tightened even more, hard enough to bruise, as he clenched his other fist.

      “What was me?” A part of you was getting a sick sense of satisfaction from causing his anger to grow. “Would you mind letting go now?”

      “Not until you apologize.” Sasuke was seething now and your growing smirk was making it worse.

      “Get your hands off of her!” Naruto growled.

      “Shut up loser. This has nothing to do with you.”

      _Wrong thing to call my friend…_ By now a crowd had formed, clearly interested in what was happening. Your eyes darkened dangerously as you put your hand on top of Sasuke's and stepped closer to him, towering over him by a few inches. “Listen here you self entitled little shit. Maybe it was me, maybe it wasn't. You have no proof I did anything and I don’t care if you want to have a temper tantrum, but what I do care about is you insulting my friends. Next time I hear you say ANYTHING like that to Naruto or any friend of mine I’ll break your fucking face. Now, remove your hand or I’ll do it for you.” Your voice had dropped to a menacing whisper and Sasuke faltered, his grip loosening a fraction before tightening again.

      “What does a weakling like you think they could do to me?” He sneered.

      In an instant you had wrapped your fingers around his hand and pried it off, squeezing it hard enough for him to hiss in pain and attempt to yank it away. “Remember this,” your nails dug into his flesh and you could feel his bones straining precariously, “the next time you think pissing me off is a good idea.” Releasing his hand you watched as a brief flicker of surprise made its way across his face before turning around to see Naruto sticking his tongue out at the boy. “Stop it Naruto. Don't antagonize him.” _Damn it! I need to get my anger under control_. As you wallowed in your thoughts you saw a small white blur run towards you. It came to a stop at your feet, barking excitedly as its tail swished back and forth eliciting a small giggle from you. “Hey boy. You're Akamaru right?” He barked again and jumped up, placing his front paws on your legs. Lifting him up you cradled him in your arms as he licked your face.

      “Ugh if he's here that means Kiba is somewhere close.” Naruto's face soured at the thought.

      “What’s wrong with that?” You were only half paying attention while you loved the little fluff ball in your arms.

      “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Said male suddenly appeared, brown hair poking out of his hood while he crossed his arms. 

      “Come on you guys, don’t start fighting.” A new voice chimed in. Sparing a glance up you saw you were joined by Choji and Shikamaru, the former being the one to speak while the latter just looked bored with his hands in his pockets. Choji noticed you looking at him and smiled kindly at you. “Hey, I’m Choji Akimichi and this is Shikamaru Nara. Your name is (Y/N), right?”

      “Yup. It's nice to meet you both. We're in the same class together aren’t we?” 

      “Mmhmm. What was all that about with Sasuke? I’ve never seen him that mad before.”

      Akamaru squirmed in your arms so you set him down gently and sighed. “He thinks I did something to him and got his feathers all ruffled.”

      “Did you?” The plump boy asked.

      You hesitated as you watched Naruto and Kiba arguing while Akamaru pulled at the blondes' pant leg. “Yes.”

      “What did you do?” Shikamaru finally spoke, his voice matching his bored expression. 

      “I uh… threwapaperairplaneathim.” The words came out rushed and your face heated up.

      “Sasuke's mad because you threw paper at him?” Choji confirmed. At your nod he burst out laughing.

      “Troublesome girl.” Despite the all too familiar words you saw amusement glint in his eyes. 

     The hair on the back of your neck stood on end as you felt someone watching you. Turning your head you saw a figure wearing a light grey coat with the collar covering the bottom half of his face watching you. “It was nice meeting you guys but I have to go talk to someone. I hope we can hang out sometime though. See you later!” Waving goodbye to the group you practically skipped over to where the person stood. “Hey Shino, what’s up?”

      “Walk with me.” Something about the insect user captivated you and you felt like a moth being drawn to a flame so you readily fell into step as he moved. A comfortable silence enveloped the two of you as you walked and you were content simply to be with him. It was at least half an hour before he spoke again. “What was that thing you did earlier? I've never seen a jutsu like that before.”

      “That’s not surprising. Only certain members of my clan can do what I did. It's not something that just anyone can learn to do.”

      “Is it a kekkei genkai?” 

      “It can be seen that way I suppose.”

      “Hmm.”

      “So uh, where exactly are we going?” 

      “My house.”

      “Wait, what?!” Dirty thoughts raced through your mind as your eyes widened, your throat suddenly going dry.

      “My house. It's because I want to get to know you better without any interruptions. You're the first person from the Academy that I have wanted to be friends with, everyone stays away from me because of my insects but you seem to like them.” 

      You thought your mind was playing tricks on you when you saw the faintest hint of pink on his cheeks but when he quickly turned his face away from you to try and hide it you smiled widely. “Well okay then. Lead the way.” _I’m really starting to like it here…_

**Time Skip**

      It's been just over two weeks since you first arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village and for the first time ever you felt like you had a real home. Friends seemed to come easily for you and with your constant training you were stronger than you ever thought you could be. Your taijutsu and ninjutsu were on a much higher level than any of your classmates and you already had good control over your hidden power, creating small objects out nothing. Despite your newfound happiness you still felt like a piece of yourself was missing, gnawing at the back of your mind waiting to be uncovered. The door to your apartment swung open as you finished tying your hair up in the same style you’ve been wearing since your first day at the Acadamy, a high donut bun.

      “Well this is new, you’re never ready before me.” You chuckled as you exited the bathroom.

      “Today is our graduation exam! We're finally gonna be genin!” Naruto's entire body shook with excitement as he waited impatiently for you to gather your things. You felt your heart sink as you remembered what today held for the boy but you managed to smile sweetly at him.

      “That’s only if we pass you know.”

      “Of course we're gonna pass! You're the top of our class and I’m gonna be Hokage one day!” 

      Shaking your head at his antics you placed your hands on his shoulders to keep him from moving too much. “No matter what happens today, remember that everything happens for a reason. Okay?”

      “Yeah yeah whatever.” Naruto agreed dismissively, causing you to sigh. “Can we go now?”

      “There's just one thing I need to do first.” You heard his foot start tapping against the floor, eager to get a move on. Leaning down slightly you lifted his goggles and pressed your lips to his forehead softly before removing your other hand from his shoulder. “I believe in you Naruto.” His blue eyes softened at the gesture and you couldn’t help but giggle.

      “What's so funny?”

      “You don’t blush anymore when I do that. Finally accepting it huh?” The two of you left your small home and exited the apartment complex, rushing towards the school. 

      “Sh-shut up.” He mumbled weakly, his cheeks turning pink.

      “I’m not teasing you. You know I consider you my little brother. You will ALWAYS be family to me.”

      “Hey! I’m older than you! (A/N: fun fact, Naruto's birthday is October 10th and mines the 11th so your birthday in this story is October 11th :D )” He spluttered indignantly as he avoided the sentiment, still not used to the thought of someone caring for him the way you did.

      _Ha! If you only knew…_ “Hmm no, I don’t think so. Race you there!” Not giving him a chance to respond you took off running, laughing as he yelled behind you.

**Time Skip**

 

      “Congratulations to everyone who passed the final exam, you are now all genin! Teams will be assigned tomorrow so make sure you’re on time to meet your new Sensei's.” Iruka beamed at his now former students. All but one. As he dismissed the class you ignored your friends attempts to speak to you as you rushed out of the building, running to where you knew Naruto would be. He watched sullenly as students came pouring out with their new forehead protectors wrapped snugly around various body parts. Before you could reach his swing a hand fell on your shoulder.

      “Lord Third has requested your presence.” A familiar voice spoke lazily, his grip stopping you from moving forward. 

      “Let me go Genma.” You turned around and sent the male an exasperated look.

      “Nu uh. I was told to bring you back as soon as the exam finished.” Your ears picked up the sound of Naruto's voice and you glanced up in time to see him walk away with Mizuki. “I don’t know why I’m the one who always has to bring you to him.” Genma mumbled the last part to himself.

      _He'll be alright, I know how this plays out._ “Come on now, you're being given the best mission in the village. Anyone would kill to be my personal escort.” You joked, snickering as raised an eyebrow.

      “Riiiight. How could I have forgotten how important you are, oh delicate princess.” The corner of his lip twitched upwards in amusement.

      “Hmph,” you crossed your arms and gave him your best haughty expression, “that’s better. Remember your place peasant.” Your grand exit was ruined as you tripped over Genma's outstretched foot. Managing to catch yourself before you fell you glared playfully at the ninja.

      “Oh I’m **so** sorry your Highness. Please forgive me.” He smirked as you gave him the finger and sauntered off without him. He caught up to you in seconds and the two of you continued your playful banter until you reached your destination. 

       Walking into the room you were confused by the group of people waiting for you. Kakashi, Kurenai, Guy, and Asuma stood to the side of the Hokage with matching expressions full of pride.

      “Good afternoon (Y/N), you're probably wondering why I had you brought here on such short notice.” There was an unmistakable twinkle of mischief in the Hokage's eyes as he spoke.

      “Er yes actually.” You furrowed your brows as you glanced around the room.

      “Ever since you came to the village I have been keeping a close eye on you and the progress you have made so far is remarkable. You have advanced much farther than the other students your age, even surpassing some of the strongest jonin the Hidden Leaf has. After conferring with the others here with us today I have come to a decision and would like to make you an offer I have never made to anyone else before. Would you be interested in being promoted straight to jonin?”

      You thought your eyes were going to pop out of your skull with how wide they had gotten. “I – I… Yes! What do I have to do?”

      He chuckled at your eagerness as he stood. “Only one small thing.” In one smooth motion he pulled off his Hokage robes and you blanched at what was underneath. “Fight me.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

      The classroom was alive with anticipation and excitement as today was the day that all the new ninja would be assigned their groups.

      “Good morning everyone.” Iruka called from the front of the room. He scanned the room quickly before continuing. “It looks like everyone is here already so I’ll get right to it.”

      “But Sensei, (Y/N) isn't here yet.” Naruto called out in confusion.

      “Unfortunately last night I was told (Y/N) won't be a part of this process.” The teacher spoke solemnly. As his words washed over the class shocked murmurs broke out, everyone wondering what happened to you.

      “What? Why?! She made genin didn’t she?!” Naruto yelled at Iruka as if it was his fault you weren’t there.

      “Yes, she did. I don't know why she isn’t here, but the Hokage decided for her not to be here so that’s that.”

      “But that’s not fair!”

      “Enough Naruto!”

      “No I –.” Naruto was elbowed harshly by the pink haired girl to his right.

      “Shut up already! You can find her after we get our groups and ask her about it.” Sakura shouted directly in the poor boys' ear.

      “Now, as I was saying. As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you have faced difficult hardships and trials but that’s nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult now you are only genin, first level ninja. All the genin will be grouped into three man squads. Each squad will be led by a jonin, an elite ninja. We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities so that’s how we set them up. I will now announce the squads…

     "Onto squad seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. Next, squad eight. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Lastly, squad ten. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Those are all of the squads. The jonin in charge of your squads are as follows: squad seven will be led by Kakashi Hatake, squad eight is with Kurenai Yuhi, and squad ten will be with Asuma Sarutobi.” The room erupted in excited shouts and disappointed groans as Iruka finished speaking, making the man sigh and shake his head.

**Back With You**

      “Ow ow ow. God dammit.” You couldn't stop the curses streaming out of your mouth as you rolled over on your bed, your entire body beaten and bruised. “Stupid Sarutobi. ‘I have this suuuper idea, fight me and you can become a jonin’. That was a horrible fucking idea old man.”

      “That’s a bit harsh don’t you think?” An amused voice questioned, causing you to jump in surprise and yell even more profanities at the pain that blossomed.

      “Shut up Kakashi.” _How the hell did he get in here without me noticing?!_ “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

      “It can wait.” He slipped his usual book into his pocket while he held his other arm behind his back. “I have something for you. But if you don’t want it I can just go…”

      “No! I mean,” you fake coughed, “what do you have?”

      His eye sparkled as he slowly brought his arm in front of him. In his hand he held a brand new flack jacket.

      “But I lost…” Tears stung your eyes at Kakashi's cruel joke.

      “Technically yes. Did you honestly think Lord Third expected you to win against him?” His voice softened as he came to crouch on the floor beside you.

      “I – I… I guess not.”

      “He wanted to test your strength and ability to make critical decisions on your feet. It was amazing watching you hold your own against him for as long as you did, you should be proud of yourself.” Kakashi smoothed down your hair in an attempt to comfort you.

      “You think so?” Your voice was small, your self doubts shining through.

      “Of course I do. You’re so young yet you’re already extremely powerful. And you’ll only get better as time goes on.”

      You tried sitting up but only winced in pain. “Would've been nice not to wake up feeling like a training dummy someone took all of their anger out on though.”

      He chuckled and set your new jacket down on the end of the bed. “I suggest a trip to the hot springs when you can manage to move, it'll make you feel a lot better.”

      “Ugh that would be incredible right now. I’m just happy I seem to heal faster than most people. Wait, how did I get home? The last thing I remember was gramps talking and then passing out.”

      “Oh… well, um, Guy insisted on carrying you here.” He scratched his uncovered cheek while avoiding eye contact.

      “…what happened?”

      “While he was carrying you he… decided to run here.”

      “I bounced around a lot, didn't I?”

      “Yeah… I’m sorry.” To his credit, he did look genuinely sorry.

      “It's okay, I’ll be fine.” You sighed. “Nothing I can do about that now.” Realization hit you like a ton of bricks. “I’m a jonin now!”

      Kakashi's mask lifted slightly as he smiled. “Congratulations. Kurenai wants to take you out to celebrate once you're feeling like yourself again.”

      “That sounds like fun.” A yawn escaped your lips and you struggled to keep your eyes open.

      “I should go, you need to rest.” Kakashi went to stand but you weakly grabbed his wrist.

      “Can you stay? Just for a little while…” Pink tinted your cheeks as you awaited his response.

      “I suppose so.”

      He settled back down on the floor but you shook your head. “Up here. Cuddling would be nice right now.”

      “I don't know if that’s appropriate.” Flashes of what happened last time he was alone with you in your apartment danced across his mind.

      “Why not? I’m not your student and nothing will happen. It's just two friends cuddling.” It didn’t take much convincing before the man carefully climbed onto the bed beside you. Once he was comfortable you shimmied over and rested your head on his chest, ignoring the pain flowing through your body at the movements. As the rhythmic beating of his heart lulled you closer to sleep you inhaled his scent with a content sigh. You felt him shift before gentle fingers started playing with your hair.

      “I’m going to be late.” He murmured quietly in your ear. Despite his half-hearted protest you felt his arm pull you closer.

      “Mmm you’re always late. At least this time you’ll have a good excuse.”

      Kakashi hummed in agreement as he continued his ministrations. The minutes seemed to race by and before long your eyes had shut and your breathing evened out, sleep claiming your body once more.

      When you finally woke up again you felt refreshed and rejuvenated, only small twinges of pain remaining. A quick glance out the window had you guessing it was only mid-day. _Huh, thought I would’ve slept longer._ Kakashi's recommendation of visiting the hot springs pushed its way to the forefront of your mind and a smile formed on your face. A loud rumbling sound made your smile falter. _Right. Food first, then go for a soak._

      Removing yourself from your bed you made your way to the kitchen. Grabbing the small kettle from beside the sink you filled it up and placed it on the stovetop. As you waited for the water to boil you reached into a cupboard and pulled out a package of instant ramen. You hesitated for a moment before reaching in again and grabbing another package. _I’m freaking starving. Maybe I’ll stop for food later too._ As you waited for your lunch to finish ‘cooking' you puttered around your home, tidying up as you went. Once your food was finally ready, you devoured both containers in record time. Tossing both containers in the garbage, you grabbed your new jacket and rushed out the door. All you wanted to do was relax in the soothing water and it seemed luck was on your side as you didn’t meet any of your friends on the way.

**Time Skip**

      The hot spring worked like a charm, the water had dissolved all of the soreness left over from your fight with the Hokage. You were now almost fully dressed, the last piece of clothing held between your hands. You fingered the durable green fabric, flames of excitement burning inside of you at the thought of everyone seeing your new status. Your eyes never left your reflection in the tall mirror in front of you as you slipped the jacket on. A massive smile formed on your lips as you admired the newest addition to your outfit.

      “I’m really a jonin. Holy fuck!” Your excited shout echoed in the room and rang in your ears making you wince. “Ouch.” Rubbing your ears to ease the ringing you left the changing room and made your way out of the hot springs. The sun was still shining brightly as you walked through the village with a smile plastered across your face. You were too caught up in your own little world that you didn’t notice the big group of people trying to get your attention. It wasn't until something hard collided with your chest and tried squeezing the life out of you that you snapped back to reality. You were preparing to attack until the thing that hit you spoke to you.

      “(Y/N)! Where have you been?! I tried coming to your place but there was no answer! I was so worried!”

      “Uh hello to you too? Why were you worried? We saw each other yesterday Naruto…”

      “What are you talking about? None of us have seen you since the final exam.” Naruto's look of confusion mirrored yours as he spoke.

      “I know… That was yesterday.” The rest of your classmates (the important ones anyway) stood in front of you looking at you like you were crazy.

      “Jeez did you hit your head or something?” Kiba blurted out, only to be hit on the back of the head by Sakura.

      “Uh (Y/N), the final exam was on Monday.” Ino piped up.

      “Okay…?” _What is going on with them today?_

      “It's Thursday today.” Ino spoke softly, her worry for you evident.

      “That – that can't be right.” Your gaze shifted to each of your friends for any sign that they were messing with you, but your heart sank seeing the serious expressions on their faces. “I slept for two whole days?!”

      “What the Hell happened to you?!” You felt your heart sink even more at the look of fear deep in Naruto's eyes and you realized that he assumed the worst had happened to his only ‘family'.

      “It's kind of a long story… Why don't we all go get something to eat and I can tell you over food?”

      “Alright! Let's go to Yakiniku Q!” Choji's eyes lit up at the prospect of barbecue and you couldn't bring yourself to say no to him.

      “Does your story have something to do with that?” Shikamaru nodded towards your jacket.

      “Yes actually. Come on, the sooner we get there the sooner I can tell you guys what’s going on.”

**Time Skip**

      All eyes were glued to you as your large group sat around the table, the scent of grilling meat permeating the air.

      “So what happened? All we know is that when we were assigned groups Iruka Sensei told us that the Hokage didn’t want you with us.” Sakura informed you.

      “Right, so um… after we made genin I was brought to see gramp – Lord Third and he made me an offer. He said that he's been watching me since I came to Konoha and he was impressed by how talented I am and that he was willing to promote me even further then genin on one condition, I had to prove myself in a fight.”

      “Are you trying to tell us you're a chunin now?” Sasuke scoffed but you could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice.

      “Who did he make you fight?” You barely heard Hinata's quiet question over the buzz of the restaurant.

      “I’m not a chunin.” (E/C) eyes narrowed at Sasuke before softening as you turned to face the shy girl. “I had to fight the Hokage himself.”

      “So you’re still a genin?” You found Kiba's confusion slightly endearing as you shook your head.

      Shino responded before you had the chance to. “There's no way she's still a genin, it's because only chunin and jonin wear those jackets.”

      “Then why is she wearing it?” You face palmed at Naruto's exclamation, he really wasn't the quickest on the uptake.

      “She made jonin.” Shikamaru started, effectively silencing the group.

      Your eyes wandered to your unofficial brother's face as you waited anxiously for his reaction. His face remained neutral as he processed the information and it felt like your heart would burst out of your chest. The second his expression turned to amazement you felt the tension melt away. “No way, you’re really a jonin now?!”

      “I am.” You unconsciously puffed out your chest in pride.

      “That’s so cool! So did you beat the old man?”

      “God no. He kicked my ass. That's why I was out of it for so long.”

      “Tell us how it went!” Choji called out. Your friends all agreed excitedly, even Sasuke seemed interested.

      “Sure.” Your cheeks heated up at as everyone stared at you intently. “Where to begin…”

**Flashback**

      The air was tense as you stood across the worn down training field from the eldest Sarutobi. Even in his old age, as he stood tall in his black combat attire, he was an extremely intimidating man. It was unnaturally quiet as you waited for Asuma to give the signal to begin, no-one dared to make even the slightest sound. Keeping one eye on either Sarutobi you focused on nothing else as you prepared for the powerful assault you knew would be coming your way very soon. As soon as Asuma gave the signal, Hiruzen wasted no time in throwing a single shuriken at you as he ran forward.

      “Shuriken shadow clone jutsu!” Hundreds of shuriken appeared out of thin air and came hurtling at you dangerously fast.

      _Tiger – snake – rat – snake – tiger._ “Water style, water wall!” A high pressured stream of water burst from your mouth and formed a wall around your body. You poured more of your chakra into water and watched as the wall increased in height and width in preparation for your next attack. _I’ve only done this successfully once, here goes nothing._ With a deep breath you formed the hand signs for your modified jutsu, “water style, raging wolf!” The defensive water wall quickly morphed into a gigantic snarling wolf that lunged at your opponent. He managed to dodge right before the beasts' jaws snapped him up. You felt your control wane and you knew if you tried keeping it going you were bound to use up too much chakra. _One more time and then I have to stop it. If I can just hit him once…_ As you were analyzing the situation, you watched as Hiruzen bit himself and slammed his palm onto the ground and a poof of white smoke appeared. In the midst of all the smoke stood a tall brown monkey wearing a Konoha forehead protector, his white tail swaying back and forth.

      “You summoned me to fight a kid?” His voice was nothing like you expected a speaking monkey would sound like. It was smooth and deep, the kind of voice that could soothe even the worst nightmare. His eyes locked onto your own headband. “Is she another Orochimaru?”

      “I will admit that they share some traits but unlike him, the Will of Fire burns brightly within her.” You interrupted their conversation by sending the wolf charging towards them. As it raised its paw to swipe at them you heard Hiruzen call out, “Enma, Adamantine Staff!” The strength behind the newly formed staff mixed with your already weakening attack was all it took for the creature to explode, the water it had been created from raining down on the field and drenching you both. He leaped backwards and landed gracefully on his feet, his hands already forming a sign. “Earth style, great mud river!” The ground beneath you instantly became a thick liquid which grabbed hold of your feet and held you in place as it slowly pulled you down.

      _Dammit! Wait, I wonder…_ “Fire style, fox fire!” Ten balls of fire formed a circle in the air around you. Yes! Please work. You sent all of them into the mud surrounding your feet, drying it out just enough that you were able to break free and run to dry land. _There's no way I can take him on like this. Sparring with Kakashi is hard enough. But not if I’m really mad…_ Thanks to your frequent practice of trying to control your emotions it wasn’t hard for you to allow white hot rage consume you. Now is the perfect time to debut my fun little trick. “Shadow clone jutsu!” Five identical copies of yourself now stood beside you. Black mist encased your hands and slowly swirled around your entire body. One by one, each of your clones copied your actions but with the different elements. “Ascending darkness!” Six identical voices yelled as all of you aimed your hands out in front of you. As all of the elements and your black mist collided you felt the earth tremble as a great shockwave blasted Hiruzen backwards. Instead of vanishing into the air, your attacks merged into a growing black sphere that raised itself up into the sky. Once it reached the size of a large house it blew up, blacking out the sun and shrouding the field in darkness. Lightning crackled and flames flickered throughout the cloud-like covering as your clones poofed out of existence.

      “Impressive. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

      “Hn. Of course you haven't, I created it myself.” You internally cringed at how snarky you sounded. Even though you had much better control over channeling your emotions, whenever your rage took over it was like you had a split personality who detested everyone. “But that’s not all it can do.”

      “As interested as I am to see exactly what that can do, I think it's for the best if I don’t quite yet.” He muttered something too quiet for you to hear and Enma shifted back to his normal form. Both of you attacked at the same time. “Fire style, Phoenix flower jutsu!”

      “Dark release, sinners tears!”

      A quick succession of fire balls flew from his mouth as droplets of hot red liquid fell from the sky. You were able to dodge most of the fire balls, but a few of them managed to hit various parts of your body. Hissing in pain you ran towards Hiruzen, ignoring the smell of burning flesh. Leaping through the air you bypassed Enma as he swung at you and grabbed hold of the front of the Hokage's jumpsuit and swung him around, throwing him into the downpour. As the blood rain made contact with him it began forming heavy chains that wrapped around his body, trapping his arms and making it impossible to form hand signs. Raising your hand in front of you, you concentrated and felt a smooth handle take shape. Within seconds you had a fully formed scythe in your hands. The entire handle was covered with a delicate swirling pattern and the end tapered off into a sharp point while the blade itself was three feet long and curved down at the end. The underside of the blade had sharp, jagged ridges that allowed you to tear into flesh to maximize the damage to your opponent. Before you could get close enough to swing your weapon a large hand clamped down on the back of your neck and threw you into the air. As you spun around, a fist collided with your stomach and another hand ripped your scythe away from you, the end slicing your hand open. Still airborne, you waited until Enma was within range, placed both of your feet on his chest, and kicked off, using his body to give you the momentum you needed to get back down to the ground safely.

      He wasted no time in engaging you in taijutsu and you knew if you didn't get away from him you were screwed, you were no match for his physical strength. Unfortunately, his speed was incredible as well and he wasn’t going to let you get away. Blow after blow, your body was slowing down and your own hits were getting sloppy. Eventually his long tail swept your feet out from under you and you crashed to the ground. Your body radiated pain as you lie battered and bruised on the training field and you guessed you had multiple broken bones. Enma disappeared from view and you heard the sound of something breaking before two figures appeared above you. Traces of blood remained on the Hokage as he kneeled down next to you, out of breath and looking worse for wear.

      “I must say, that was –.” His voice cut off as your eyes rolled to the back of your head and your consciousness faded away.

**Present Time**

      “When I woke up I was back in my bed and Kakashi told me I had passed and gave me my jacket. After he left I fell asleep again and didn’t wake up until a few hours ago.” Everyone's eyes had widened in shock and awe as you finished your story.

      “How are you walking around already? It sounds like you got beat really badly.” Hinata seemed to temporarily overcome her shyness as she questioned you.

      “I uh heal faster than most people. One of the perks of being me I guess.” You cracked a half smile, hoping your explanation stated her curiosity for the time being. _No need to mention mythical beings just yet._

      “Who cares about that, you created a new jutsu!” Naruto was star struck as he gaped at you.

      “I did.” Sparing a glance at Hinata you felt bad at the crestfallen look on her face as she watched Naruto fawn over you. She caught your eye and her cheeks heated up instantly. Before she could look away, you subtly motioned to yourself and the blonde boy and shook your head. She picked up what you meant and her entire face resembled a tomato but you saw a ghost of a smile appear.

      The next hour was spent answering all of their questions as best you could and joking around. When the bill was finally paid you all made your way outside when Sakura stopped you.

      “Is something wrong?” Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

      “Mm mm. You said you know Kakashi Sensei, right? Are you friends?”

      “I like to think so,” you laughed happily, “why?”

      “Well I was wondering… Can you tell us anything about him? He made us all introduce ourselves but didn’t actually tell us anything about himself other than his name.” The pink haired girl played with her hair nervously. Both Naruto and Sasuke were paying close attention now.

      _Do I scare Sakura?_ “Hmm. Well, he likes his privacy so I don’t want to give away too much. Uhh… he likes to read and he has a soft spot for dogs. Oh, a little heads up, he is always late.”

      “We found that out yesterday.” Sakura's pretty face soured, obviously still annoyed by her survival exercise the day before.

      “He's a really good guy though, and a strong ninja. You're lucky to have him as your teacher.”

      “You think so? I’m flattered.”

      “How do you manage to keep sneaking up on me?” You sighed as you turned to face the copy cat ninja.

      “Kakashi Sensei! What are you doing here?” Realizing how rude that could have sounded Sakura backtracked hastily, “N-not that you can't be here. I just mean uh…”

      “Relax Sakura, I’m just here to collect (Y/N).”

      “Does she have a mission already?”

      “No, nothing like that. We're celebrating her promotion to jonin now that she's recovered.”

      “Cool! Can we come?”

      “Sorry Naruto, it's jonin only.”

      “Aw come on, that's not fair! We're her friends, we should be allowed to come! Please Sensei?” He gave Kakashi his best puppy dog eyes.

      “You guys can have your own celebration for her later if you want. Why don't you go train?”

      “But –.” “Geez Naruto. He said no. Sorry Kakashi Sensei, (Y/N). We'll see you later, have fun!” Sakura dragged the blonde boy away, smacking him upside the head as he continued protesting loudly.

      “It's a good thing you ate already.” Kakashi chuckled mischievously as he led you away.

      “Why? Where are we going?”

      “You’ll see.” Something in his tone had you worried.

      “Tell me.”

      He chuckled again but otherwise remained tight lipped until you found yourself standing in front of a building. “Let's go, everyone's waiting.”

      “In there? Isn’t this a bar?”

      “Mmhmm.” He stepped inside and waited for you to follow. When you didn’t move, he came back out and grabbed your hand. “Come on.”

      “But I’m underage, I can't go in there.”

      “Normally no you couldn't, but you're a jonin now. There are certain perks that come with the title.”

      “Like getting drunk?”

      “Among other things.” His eye twinkled as he pulled you inside. “We have a tradition for new jonin.”

      “And that is…?” Trepidation filled you as he led you into a room already filled with people in the back of the bar.

      “We get all the newbies drunk and get them to spill all of their dirty little secrets.” An evil smirk was plastered across the face of the new voice, her pupil-less eyes sending a shiver down your spine.

      “Don't scare her Anko.” Kurenai rolled her eyes before hugging you tightly. “Congratulations (Y/N), I knew you could do it.”

      “Th-thanks.” After being introduced to everyone you found yourself sitting at a table, a shot of sake placed in front of you as all eyes watched you intently. Picking the shot glass up you exhaled deeply and shook your head. “Bottoms up.”


	9. Chapter 9

      Five shots of sake later the group had stopped staring at you and had broken off into smaller groups as everyone continued drinking. Not used to drinking sake (even in your original world) your stomach felt queasy and you were sure you had a grimace on your face. A melodic laugh broke through the chatter and you looked at the two glasses filled with different liquids as Kurenai held them out to you.

      “Drink this one first.” She tapped the glass of clear liquid with her pinky. “Don't worry, it's just water.”

      “Thank you!” You took the glass and swallowed the cool liquid greedily. “I don't know if I like sake. It's…” You trailed off, at a loss for words.

      “An acquired taste.” Her crimson eyes sparkled knowingly. “I’m not really a fan of it either. This however,” her eyes flickered down to the other glass, “is much better. It's shochu with peach juice and a splash of lemon.”

      Trusting her judgment you took a sip of the new drink, your (e/c) eyes lighting up in delight. “Oh my… this is delicious!”

      “I figured you would like this better than sake.” Sliding into the seat next to you her expression turned serious. “How did Naruto take the news?”

      “About me being a jonin? He was really excited actually. Why?”

       “I’ve heard how he can be sometimes and I know you care for him. I didn’t want you to feel bad if he was jealous. You’ve earned this.”

      “If I’m being honest, I was a little worried he'd be mad or upset with me but he wasn’t. Not even a little.” 

      “Good, I’m glad. He's a good kid, I’ll give him that.” 

      “Mmm.” You took another sip of your drink and missed the smirk on Kurenai's face as she tilted the glass and held it up, forcing you to chug all of the contents. She laughed loudly as you spluttered and coughed. “What the Hell?!”

      “What, you thought I wasn't going to try and get you drunk? Anko did warn you about what tonight was all about after all.”

      “Jeez you’re an ass.” Wiping your mouth and glaring at her you noticed her signal to someone across the room. “What are you doing now?”

      “You need another drink.” Came her simple reply as she smiled innocently. 

  _Welp, I’m screwed._

      Another drink was set down in front of you by a man with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “I need to steal Kurenai for a few minutes. We have to talk about a uh mission coming up.” You saw right through Asuma's transparent excuse as your friend jumped up a little too fast.

      “Uh hu right, a mission. Make sure you stay **protected** on your ‘mission'.” Asuma's eyes widened in shock as Kurenai fumbled over her words. You waved them off dismissively as you shook your head. “Go. Have fun.” You sighed, a twinge of jealousy tugging at your heart. _I wish I had something like that…_

      “Hey Princess, having fun?” 

      “I was until you showed up.” 

      “Ouch, such hostility.” Genma snickered as he sat in the now unoccupied seat. He set somethings on the table and slid one over to you. “You looked thirsty.”

       “I have a drink already, thanks though.” You pushed the full shot glass back to him.

      “Hmm, that’s weird. I don’t remember asking.” Sliding it back to you he picked up the second one. “I’m doing one with you so hurry up, I don't get to do this very often.” He plucked the senbon out of his mouth and waited impatiently.

       “I suppose one more won't hurt.” 

      You mirrored his actions as he picked up his shot and held it up. “To not having to babysit the little princess anymore.” You stuck your tongue out at him before tipping the small glass. The unappealing taste of sake filled your mouth and you swallowed as fast as you could, eager to get it over with. “Congratulations by the way.” A kunoichi with short black hair caught his eye and winked at him. “That's my cue. I’ll see you later, enjoy the party.”

      As the night went on, your nerves dissipated and you began enjoying yourself, although you knew the steady stream of alcohol had been mostly responsible for loosening you up. Currently, you were standing with a few other people, laughing as they told embarrassing stories about their comrades.

       “If you keep telling her these kinds of stories she might just avoid us all together.” A new person joined your group, grinning down at you as he spoke. _He looks really familiar, but I can't place my finger on where I've seen him before._ “Hi there, I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet. I’m Aoba Yamashiro.”

        _Aha! I knew I recognized him!_ “It's nice to meet you, I’m –.”

      “(Y/N) (L/N), I know. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t know who the guest of honor is?” The teasing smile on his face made you giggle and you missed the way a single black eye locked onto you. “Oh, Yugao was looking for you Hayate. You might want to go find her.”

      “Really? Thanks!.” The brunette rushed off, his friends following suit. 

       “Liar.” 

       Aoba looked at you innocently. “What do you mean?”

       “Kurenai wanted me to meet Yugao but said she was at home, sick.”

      You couldn't tell what the man was thinking as he shrugged and sipped his drink. “Huh, I wonder who was looking for him then. Strange.”

      You tried not to laugh and ended up snorting instead. Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment and you hastily finished your drink to avoid seeing his reaction. Upon emptying your glass, Aoba took it gently from you and led you to the unmanned private bar hidden away at the back of the room. He mixed you another drink and handed it to you, leaning against the counter once he was done. “So, where's your boyfriend tonight? Or is he not a jonin?” 

       “No boyfriend for me. Aaallll alone.” As you sipped your new drink you felt yourself veer away from buzzed to pleasantly drunk.

      “A pretty thing like you is single? I find that hard to believe.” He gravitated closer to you and reached out to touch your arm when a hand clamped around his wrist.

       “I think you’ve had too much to drink Aoba, you’re already hitting on the new recruit.”Kakashi's tone was icy as he forced his way between the two of you, standing to his full height. You couldn't see his face but whatever look he was giving the other male was enough to make him back up in surrender. 

       “Er yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll just…go get some fresh air.”

      “Good idea.” Kakashi glared at the spiky haired man as he retreated until he was finally out of view.

       “Kakashi?” You kept your voice soft as you rested your hand on his forearm. As he turned to face you his eye softened. “What was that all about?”

       “Both of you have been drinking and I didn’t want either of you to do anything that you would regret in the morning.” 

       You slid your hand down until you were holding his wrist, your thumb over his pulse. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?” With his free hand he took your drink from you and set it down on the bar.

  He cast his gaze down to where you held on, clearly understanding what you were attempting. Flipping his hand over he laced his fingers through your own and with his other hand he gently stroked your cheek, smiling as you leaned into his touch ever so slightly. “Do you want there to be another reason?” His husky voice caused butterflies to erupt deep in your stomach and you felt your entire body flood with warmth.

      “I think I do.” The alcohol had emboldened you and you found yourself placing your free hand on his chest, right over his heart.

      Due to your closeness you were able to make out his lips pulling back in a smile through his mask as he removed his hand and ghosted his fingers down your neck and over the side of your breast until coming to a stop at your waist. His other hand let go of yours and he placed it on the other side of your waist, pulling you flush against his chest. “Tell me what you want.” He whispered into your ear as he rubbed your sides.

      Your fingers dug into the fabric of his jacket as you felt your nether regions throb in anticipation. “I – I want you Kakashi.”

      Teeth suddenly nipped at your ear as his hands gripped your thighs and hoisted you up into the air. On instinct you wrapped your arms around his neck and didn’t let go, your mind barely registering the sound of glass shattering on the ground before he set you down on the counter. Your legs wrapped around his waist and you locked your ankles behind him as he held firmly onto your thighs. The feeling of his breath fanning over your ear and the side of your neck as he spoke sent a chill down your spine and caused goosebumps to form on your arms. “Say that again.” 

      “I want you Kakashi.” You were rewarded with a deep groan as he placed sloppy kisses down your neck and the top of your chest. Growing impatient with him not kissing you properly, you placed your fingers underneath his chin and guided his face up to yours, briefly stopping to admire his mask-less face. His lips crashed against yours hungrily and you moaned at the feeling of his soft lips and his hands roaming your body. Your moan caused him to involuntarily snap his hips forward and press his growing erection into your clothed heat. You broke apart from the kiss as you gasped loudly at the delightful friction against your clit. 

      “Mmm you like that huh?” 

      “Ye –,” Another snap of his hips had you throwing your head back as a breathy moan tumbled past your lips, “yes. More. Please.”

      Kakashi tugged you closer to the edge of the counter before letting go of your legs in favor of wrapping one arm around your waist and bracing himself against the sticky surface with the other. “Why should I give you more? You've been teasing me since the day we met. I think you deserve to be punished.” He pressed his now fully erect member against you and rubbed it up and down torturously slowly as he buried his face in your neck. “Don’t you think bad girls need to be punished?” 

      “Ka-kakashi please.” You squirmed in his grasp, desperate for the pleasure your body craved.

      Lightning fast, his hand shot out and fisted your hair as he straightened up. His one visible pupil was blown wide, barely any colour showing as he pulled your hair back, forcing you to look at him. Pure lust was the only thing you saw as you stared back at him, a whimpering mess completely at his mercy. “Such a naughty girl… Did I say you could do that?” 

      Your mouth went dry and you felt your panties dampen at his actions. _Fuck. Those books are really rubbing off on him. I should really thank Jiraiya at some point_. “N-no,” an idea popped into your head, “Sir.” His animalistic groan and the way he released your hair and stroked your cheek with his thumb confirmed what you suspected. _Go figure he'd have that kind of kink._

      “Good girl.” He hopped up onto the countertop beside you and beckoned you over. “Lay across my lap, you still need your punishment.” Your heart was pounding as you quickly obeyed his command, quivering in anticipation as his hand rubbed soothing circles over your ass. You knew what was coming and despite bracing yourself you jolted with a squeak as you felt the sting of a rough slap across your backside. Kakashi was very thorough with your spanking, each slap causing the stinging pain and your arousal to grow. When he decided you had endured enough he hooked his fingers into the waistband of your shorts and yanked them down, taking your panties with them. Leaving the garments bunched up at your knees he leaned down and placed soft kisses over the red marks. You jumped as you felt his hands spread your cheeks apart, cool air hitting your newly exposed flesh. “Dirty little slut.” He teased your folds with one finger, barely touching you at all, yet that was all it took to send little jolts of pleasure straight to your core. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

      “Ye-yes sir.” Your voice was shaky and full of desire.

      “You want me to fill you up with my cock right here where anyone could walk in, don’t you?” The rawness in his voice made your pussy clench painfully with need and he chuckled darkly seeing your body beg for him. “Too bad. I’m not done with your punishment yet. Maybe if you keep being a good girl I’ll let you cum tonight. On your hands and knees. Now.” You didn’t have to be told twice, scrambling to get into the new position. Pulling your clothes back onto your body he gave you a new order as he spread his legs wide open, “undo my pants.” Rushing as fast as you could, you undid the button on his pants and pushed down the zipper. Before you could reach in and free his rock hard member you heard a voice calling out.

      “Kakaaaashi, you in there? Have yoooou seen (Y/N)?” 

      Hissing angrily, Kakashi helped you stand on the floor and fixed his pants as we went behind the bar. Both of you readjusted your appearances and he had just finished pulling his mask back onto his face when Guy stumbled into the room, disheveled and reeking of alcohol. “Can we help you?”

      “My eternal rival!” Guy tripped over air and almost toppled to the ground. “What…what are um you doing in here all alone?”

      “(Y/N)’s here too Guy.” Kakashi's tone was clipped as he tried not to snap at his friend. 

      “Huh? Oh (Y/N)!” The obviously very drunk man grabbed hold of your shoulders excitedly. “Have I ever to-told you… You're the ennnbodi – emboli – ugh perfect vi-vision of youth?!”

      “Er, yes. You have.” You winced at his shouting and maneuvered your way out of his grasp.

       “Did you need something or are you just here to annoy us?” Apparently Kakashi's patience had worn thin already and you watched as he clenched his hands into fists.

      “Uuuhh… Oh! Kurenai wasss lookin’ for you!” Guy shoved his finger in your face, oblivious to the sexual tension that still filled the room. “Come with me!” You weren’t fast enough to move out of the way and his hand clamped down around your wrist before he started dragging you out of the room. You shot Kakashi a pleading look and he just sighed and shook his head.

      “Go. If you stay here Kurenai will come instead. But don't think our conversation is over, we still have a lot we need to talk about.” The meaning behind his words hit you hard and you had to bite your tongue to stifle your moan.

      Guy forced you to follow him back into the party and through the many drunk ninja but the thoughts of what was going to happen later preoccupied your mind and you didn’t notice the circle of people waiting for you. 

       “Oh good you found her. Come sit.” Kurenai patted the spot on the floor next to her, slurring her words a little as she spoke.

       “I um, I’ll stand.” Your backside still stung and you really didn’t want to sit on the hard surface.

       “Nonsense!” Guy shouted as he placed his hands on your shoulders and pushed you down with more strength than was needed. 

      Your knees buckled under the weight and you winced as you ended up on your butt despite your protests. “There, I’m sitting now. Happy?” You glared at the black haired man but he just smiled happily in return.

       “It's time tuh playa game.” Anko smirked before taking a swig of her drink, the contents sloshing out of her glass as she did.

      “What game?” Your eyes narrowed automatically, not trusting the woman.

       “We all t-take turns guess-ssing stuff ab-,” Anko burped surprisingly loudly, “about you ‘n if we're right you drink.”

       Dread filled you and you sighed knowing there was no way out of the game. You noticed Kakashi enter the room, still looking annoyed yet interested to see your answers. “Fine.” Multiple shots were set down in front of you.

      “I’ll go first. I think yer a virgin.” The pupil-less brown eyed woman smiled smugly as you downed the first shot.

      _Not for long if Kakashi has his way._ Your eyes wandered to said man leaning against the wall and you couldn't help but let your mind drift back to the events mere minutes ago. The gentle slope of his nose, the way the muscles in his jaw clenched as he ground his erection into you, the burning passion in his eye –.

      “Oi! Pay atten-attenssshhon newbie.” Anko snapped you out of your thoughts by throwing her empty cup at you which you caught out of instinct.

      “What was the guess?”

      A man whose name you couldn't remember repeated his guess. “You’ve never been on a mission.” Another shot.

      _Fuck, I’m already really drunk. If they keep this up I’m gonna end up with alcohol poisoning… Think (Y/N), think. What’s a fun drinking game that they’d go for…_ “I have an idea for a better game!”

      “Psh ‘nd what's that?”

       “It's called ‘never have I ever’. Everyone takes turns saying things they haven’t done before and anyone who has done it has to take a drink. Like if I said, never have I ever killed someone everyone who has killed someone would take a shot. But you can't repeat the same thing as someone else.” The group agreed wholeheartedly and once the shots were poured and everyone was sitting, you started it off. “Never have I ever singled out someone younger than me just to pick on them because I think it's fun.”

      Over half the group took a shot before Kurenai had her turn. “Never have I ever had a one night stand.” Even more people than before took a shot but you didn’t know whether to be more surprised at the amount of people or her bold statement. 

      “Never have I ever spied on women at the hot spring or bathhouse.” Asuma smirked at the few men who hurriedly took their shots while the few women in the group yelled and threw things at them.

      _Thank God I’m not the only one drinking now. At least this is fun. And I’m getting good dirt on everyone as an added bonus._ Your relief was short-lived as Anko finally got her turn, her eyes fixed solely on you.

      “Never h've I ever made juuunin the dame say I made guhnin.” You dutifully took your shot but flashed her a look of concern. _How much has she had to drink? She wasn’t this drunk when we started the game._

      You barely paid attention to the game as you leaned over to Kurenai. “I’m worried ‘bout Anko, she seems really out of it. I think we should end the game and ta-ake her home.”

      She frowned as she studied the other woman. “That’s prob'ly a good idea. Do you want to stay or…?”

      You shook your head, “No, I can help –,” you sniffed as you caught a familiar scent approaching, “Shikaku's coming.”

      Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Anko will listen to him.”

      “Alright everyone, you've had your fun now it's time to call it a night.” Shikaku surveyed the room and sighed seeing how drunk all the jonin had gotten. Angry objections erupted all around the room and with your blurred vision you could barely make out Shikaku's eyebrow twitch in annoyance. “That's enough! Anyone still here in sixty seconds will be stuck guarding the entrance gates for a month!” Everything was a blur as people stampeded out and away from the now furious jonin commander. You saw Kakashi motion you over but Kurenai grabbed your hand and wrapped an arm around Anko's waist, dragging you both outside. 

      “Where we goin’?”

      “My place. I doubt Anko will give me the key to hers and I don't feel like breaking in. And this way I can keep an eye on both of you.” The crimson eyed beauty gave you a lopsided grin as the three of you stumbled your way to her home. 

**Time Skip**

      After the three of you finally reached your destination, it took an additional hour just to get Anko to settle down and pass out on the couch. You and Kurenai had crawled into her bed and the second her head hit the pillow she was out cold. You on the other hand were finding it very difficult to shut your mind off as she wrapped her arms around you and snuggled close. All you could think about was how right being intimate with Kakashi felt and how your body ached for more. As you pondered what could happen between the two of you, your anxiety and self doubt took hold. _What if he only made a move because he'd been drinking? Maybe he doesn’t actually like me that way. He probably only acted like that tonight because he hasn’t had sex in a long time._ You snorted derisively at yourself. _Yeah, right. He's a frickin Adonis, he's probably fucked half the women in the village already. And I’m just me… I’m not special or beautiful. Why would he waste his time with me?_ Hot tears spilled down your cheeks, your body shaking as your chest tightened painfully. Kurenai stirred in her sleep and you bit your hand to muffle your sobs. ‘ _Wanna know a secret? I never actually loved you’._ Blaine's words invaded your thoughts and you bit yourself hard enough that blood filled your mouth, your heart shattering once again at the reminder of the only man you had ever loved murdering you. _Make it stop. I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I just want to be loved…_

      At some point during the night, after you had no more tears to shed, you managed to settle into a dreamless sleep. Something warm was holding you close and cracking your eyes open you realized the small female was still clinging to you. As you lie still you waited for the guaranteed hangover to hit you but you were pleasantly surprised when the only thing wrong with you was a dry mouth. Disentangling yourself as gently and quietly as you could, you tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Soft snoring could be heard coming from the couch where the other woman was sleeping. A quick glance at the clock and you saw that it was almost ten a.m. I should leave the girls’ a note. Looking around the room your eyes landed on a pad of paper and a pencil on the table.

Kurenai and Anko,

      I woke up early and didn’t want to bother either of you. I’m heading home to bathe and change into clean clothes. Thanks for last night, I had a lot of fun. We should all hang out again sometime soon.

(Y/N)

      Satisfied with your note, you found your way to the front door and stepped outside. You didn’t make it more than two steps when you crashed into someone's chest. Bleary eyed you glanced up and offered an apology. “I’m sorry. I’m not quite fully awake yet. The others are still asleep right now.”

      “I was told I would find you here, Lord Third has a mission for you.” The tall Nara got straight to the point.

      “Oh. Alright, I’ll go see him now I guess. Thanks.” Your smile lacked its usual warmth and Shikaku noticed immediately.

      “Are you feeling well? Did you drink too much last night?”

      “I definitely drank too much, but physically I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind today.” You shoved your hands into the pockets of your shorts and looked around.     “Um, do you think you could point me in the right direction?”

      “I’ll take you, I need to be debriefed as well.”

      “We're going on a mission together?”

      “It would seem that way.” 

      “Huh.” You could tell Shikaku was concerned for you but didn’t press for more information on your current state. As you neared the Hokage's office you saw an all too familiar silver haired man waiting for you. “Is Kakashi coming with us?”

      “No. Team seven was probably assigned a mission.”

      _If they were given a mission, where is his team?_

      “Good morning Shikaku.” Kakashi nodded towards your companion before setting his sights on you. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?” 

      Flashes of last night's punishment came back to you, as well as your late night thoughts. You stood up straight with your head held high, a mask of neutrality on your face. “I’m fine, thank you.”

      Kakashi's eye narrowed in confusion and he looked to Shikaku for an explanation for your new attitude. The older man simply shook his head, just as lost as him. “That’s good. So what are –.”

      “We have to go see the Hokage and I don’t want to be late so if you'll excuse me.” Your tone was cold as you pushed your way past, striding into the building without so much as a glance at him. 

      Shikaku caught up to you by the time you reached the door to the room where the man who summoned you was waiting. He sent you a quick glance before knocking on the sturdy wood.

      “Come in.” 

      He turned the doorknob and let the door swing open, the two of you entering to see a small group of ninja and a distraught looking man.

      “Excellent, now that you’re all here I can go over the details of your mission. This is an S-rank mission involving Kokumotsu village in the Land of Rice. Young girls have been going missing in the village, never to be seen again. Until recently. From what I have been told, there is a group of rogue shinobi kidnapping them and selling them to the highest bidder.” You felt sick to your stomach at the news and you focused on the stranger standing in front of you. His eyes were bloodshot and it looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “This is Futoshi Saito, his younger sister is one of the girls who has been taken.”

      “How do you know that’s what's happening to them?” Shikaku directed the question at Futoshi.

      “I – I saw her, Aimi, last week. She – she was being held captive by three men. I overheard them talking about meeting up with a buyer to sell her. I tried to get her away from them but th-they attacked me. I don’t know what they did but they left me for dead. When I woke up they were gone. Please, bring my sister back to me.” His voice cracked with emotion as he pleaded, but something about him didn’t sit right with you.

       “According to Intel we have received there will be an auction in three days time. Your mission is to rescue the girls and ensure the rogue shinobi are stopped at any cost. Two of you will infiltrate the auction as potential buyers but I want someone on the inside to gather as much information as possible. If there is something our Intel is missing we need to know.” The sick feeling returned as you felt all eyes on you, knowing what he meant by ‘someone on the inside'. 

       “Sir, with all due respect, are you sure (Y/N) is ready for this type of mission? She's,” Shikaku struggled to find the least insulting word he could, “inexperienced.”

      The Hokage sighed, “I am aware of that. However, I have gone over our available female jonin and (Y/N) is the best choice. The kidnappers have certain… criteria it seems when they choose their victims. I don’t like the situation any better than you do.” He turned to you. “Unfortunately for the sake of the mission, you must not reveal your shinobi status once you arrive in the village until your mission is complete.”

    _I have to intentionally be taken and I can't defend myself if they try anything. Great. What could possibly go wrong?_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time since I’ve posted a new chapter but there's been a lot going on. This chapter is about the same length as four or so of my usual ones combined to make up for the missed updates!  
The song in the chapter is Anyone Who Knows What Love Is by Irma Thomas, if you’ve never heard it before I recommend listening to it   
Also, dates become important towards the end of the chapter so I’m just going with our current year (2019) is the current year in the Naruto Universe so that I can map out the past dates properly. Hopefully that clears up any confusion that might occur!

      “Hey! You can't just barge in there!”

      “Like Hell I can't!” The furious woman slammed the door wide open, her beast-like eyes blazing dangerously. “What have you done?!”

      The man sighed but continued pouring over the documents before him. “What is this about Tsume?”

      “How could you send her off on that mission?!” The Inuzuka stormed around the room, seething in anger.

      “She is perfectly capable of successfully completing the mission and you know Shikaku is with her.”

      “I don't care who’s with her! She is a child with no real experience! You sent her into a situation where any man can force themselves on her! Do you not understand how dangerous that is?!” Tsume snarled as she slammed her hand down onto his desk.

      “I understand the risks, however –.”

      “NO!” Her sudden shout and the feral look in her eyes caused the Hokage to freeze in shock. “You don't understand! You know she can't control her pheromones yet and when she goes undercover she won't be able to take her Blockers with her. She's being sent to a slave auction with the ability to alter people's emotions and behavior but no way to control it!” There was an unnatural sense of desperation in the strong woman's voice as she paced back and forth. 

      Despite having been confident with his decision to send you, seeing the normally tough and rough around the edges female panicking placed a seed of doubt in his mind. “Tsume please, calm down. She is with a team of exceptionally talented jonin, everything will be alright.” 

      The frantic woman ceased her movements, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to control herself as her claws threatened to poke through the worn leather cover of the book clutched tightly in her hand. “It doesn’t matter who is with her, Hiruzen!” He jerked back at the sudden noise as she slammed the book down in front of him. 

      “What is this?” 

      “This is what I found when I was searching the Inuzuka archives for information about the clan in our stories.” A strange look crossed her face. “I’ve been through our archives time and time again but I’ve never seen this before, it's like it just appeared out of nowhere. If the dates written inside are right this book is centuries old, but…”

      “Yes?” 

      The wild look in her eyes returned as she spoke again. “There are entries about (Y/N). They mention her by her full name and it's as if some of them were written **for** her. See for yourself.”

      Unnerved by the startling information, he opened the book and began reading through the entries. The more he read, the paler he became. The minutes ticked by and eventually he tore his gaze away from the ink covered pages to stare shell shocked at Tsume. “They're all in danger.”

**~~POV Change~~ **

      “It's going to be dark soon, we'll set up camp here for the night.” Shikaku gave the order and the group scattered, everyone doing their pre assigned tasks. As the sun descended and the moon shone brightly in the night sky everyone gathered around the fire and went over the mission details one last time. “Kai and Reiji, you two will be sneaking into the village. Their security is fairly weak so you shouldn’t have any problems. Once inside, find out as much as you can about the rogue ninja and how deep their network goes. I want this wrapped up quickly and with no innocent casualties, do you understand?”

      “Yes Captain.” Both males nodded in affirmation.

      “I will be posing as a wealthy merchant with (Y/N) as my young lover. We will make sure that the rogue ninja take notice of you and once they take you, your job is to gather as much Intel as you can. Talk to the other girls there and see if they know anything we don't but make sure you’re discreet, we don't want anyone suspecting anything. As far as they’re concerned you’re just another helpless victim.” He must have seen something in your eyes because his narrowed at you. “You are not to engage anyone in a fight or alert anyone to the fact that you’re a ninja, do I make myself clear?”

      “Yes sir.” 

      Shikaku sighed as he placed a hand on your shoulder. “I don’t like the situation anymore than you do, but I have the utmost faith that the mission will be a success.”

      “Fearless leader is right,” Kai snickered at the unamused expression on the Nara's face at the new title, “there's nothing to worry about. This is your first mission hey?”

      “Yeah it is.” 

       “Is that what's bothering you?” A flicker of sympathy flashed in Reiji's jade green eyes yet his voice remained as emotionless as always. 

      “No… I just – I’m worried about the kidnapped girls. And the ones that have already been sold off. All I can think about is what those poor girls have had to endure at the hands of those vile, disgusting, pathetic, lowlife motherfuckers.” Your voice had started off soft but ended in a deep growl, your claws slicing into the log underneath you. “They. Will. All. Pay.”

      “They –. Right – I need y- to calm d-wn (Y/N).” Shikaku's distorted voice seemed to be coming from far away but no matter how hard you tried you couldn't make yourself focus enough to hear him.

      Something sharp poked through the tender flesh of your bottom lip and a thin trail of blood mixed with saliva trickled down your chin. The pounding of your heart drummed inside your ears, drowning out all other sounds as adrenaline coursed through you. Every fiber of your being was on fire and all you wanted to do was sink your claws into someone and tear the skin off their body. Your chest heaved with ragged breaths and you felt your body tense in preparation to lunge forward and run until you found the men responsible for the kidnappings. Before you could make a move Shikaku had sprung forward, tackling you to the ground. His knees dug into your legs as he pinned your hands above your head. You struggled to break free but the close proximity allowed his scent to waft into your nose, weakening your bloodthirsty desires. As you came to your senses, you couldn’t help but stare into the surprisingly calm onyx eyes of the older man. As your breathing steadied you became aware of the position the two of you were in and you felt your cheeks heat up as you wiggled in his hold. “I-I'm okay now, you can get off of me.”

      He leaned in close and it looked like he was going to say something before Kai cleared his throat. “Right.” Getting to his feet he helped you stand and sent you a disapproving stare. “I don’t know what that was but you better not pull a stunt like that on our mission. Your recklessness could have seriously harmed your teammates and if you can't get whatever that was under control you will not be allowed to continue the mission and then you can explain to Lord Third why your first mission was a failure. If we can't trust you then you’re no good for the team. Do I make myself clear?”

      “I’m sorry. It won't happen again.” You hung your head in shame, hot tears pricking your eyes.

      “It better not.” He turned away from you and rejoined the others. As you tried to will the tears away you heard him call out to you, “I think it's best if you get some rest.” 

      “Yes sir.” Walking around the men you avoided looking at them as you opened your tent and crawled inside your sleeping bag. Curling up on your side your sensitive ears picked up their hushed conversation.

      “Did you have to be so hard on her?”

      “She needs to understand that there are consequences to her actions.”

      “I get that, but you could've been nicer about it. I doubt she did that on purpose.” As Kai defended you your tears spilled from your eyes.

      _Why does it hurt so bad? I know I messed up and he's just looking out for everyone so why am I feeling like this?_

      “That’s why I had to be harsh. Being able to control what she can do is vital for her. She will never grow as a ninja if she can't.”

      You tuned out the rest of their conversation as you screwed your eyes shut. _Maybe it's just my hormones. I’ll probably feel better in the morning._ Hours passed as you tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Sighing quietly you decided to give up on any chance of rest and exited your tent. The fire had died down to smoldering embers and the rest of your team was nowhere to be seen. They’re probably all sleeping right now. Slivers of moonlight filtered down through the trees and as they danced across your skin you felt strangely at peace. I-I need to get closer. Glancing around you found the tallest tree you could and climbed to the highest branch. Lying on your back you gazed up at the moon high up in the sky and felt your stress melt away. A sudden urge to sing overtook you and the first few notes of one of your favourite songs came tumbling out of your mouth.

      “You can blame me. Try to shame me. And still I’ll care for you.” Entranced by the moon while you sang the beautiful melody, you didn’t notice the shadowy figure lurking beneath the tree. “You can run around, even put me down. Still I’ll be there for you.” A weird tingling sensation radiated from the inside of your eyeballs but you brushed it off as being over tired. “The world may think I’m foolish. They can't see you like I can. Oh but anyone who knows what love is will understand.” The figure on the ground gaped up at you in awe, enraptured at your sweet song. “I feel so sorry for the ones who pity me. Cause they just don't know. No they don’t know what happiness a true love can be.” The light of the moon seemed to get brighter and brighter the more you continued and it filled you with a delightful warmth that spread throughout your body. “I know to ever let you go, oh is more, is more than I could ever stand. Oh but anyone, anyone who knows what love is honey, will understand. Oh they just don't know, no they just don’t know. Until they really love. Oh until they try love that one time.” As you hummed the final notes the warmth faded away, along with the burning in your eyes. As your senses returned to normal you finally noticed the person directly beneath you. Utter tranquility washed over you and with a languid smile you rolled off the branch. Landing gracefully on your feet you tilted your head at the man in front of you. “It's a beautiful night tonight.”

      “Yes, it is. You have an exquisite voice.” Even with your half-lidded eyes you could make out the shock on Shikaku's face. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

      “Oh, well thank you.” A cold breeze blew by sending his intoxicating scent right to you. Your mouth started to water and a satisfied moan slipped past your lips as you stepped closer to him. “Maybe sometime I can give you another private show.” You threw caution to the wind as you trailed your finger up his arm.

      Clearing his throat he gently grabbed your hand to stop you. “I think you need sleep.”

      “Awe come on. I can think of a lot more things to do that would be way more fun than sleeping.” You pressed your chest against his and felt his heart pounding. 

      “(Y/N) this is not appropriate.” 

      “Says who?” You murmured into him as you nuzzled his neck. _What the Hell am I doing? And why does it feel so right..?_ Locked up tight in a cage in the far recess of your mind, your conscience was screaming at you to take a Blocker but you found it surprisingly easy to ignore the annoying little voice.

      “I do.” He pried you off of him and folded his arms, a stern look etched onto his features.

      “That’s not a reason.” Practically purring you inched closer.

      “You’re the same age as my son. That’s enough of a reason.” 

      “Mmm we both know that’s not really true though, don’t we?” Your grin grew as you raised an eyebrow.

      “Your mind may be older but your body is not. I’m over three times your age, old enough to be your father.” 

      “Age is just a number,” you bit your lip seductively and swayed your hips as you continued stalking towards him, “would it help if I called you daddy?” Shikaku's eyes widened and you noticed the growing bulge in the front of his pants. He wants you, claim him now! A voice that sounded like your own but much more animalistic growled in your mind, wiping the smirk right off your face. “On second thought, I’m going to head to bed. Goodnight!” Pushing past him you ran straight to your tent. Your mind raced as you crawled back into your sleeping bag. _Seriously, what the fuck is happening to me?!_

 **Time Skip**

      “Are you ready?” Shikaku questioned quietly as the two of you approached the front entrance to Kokumotsu. You gave a small nod, glancing at the tall man out of the corner of your eye. He had taken out his signature spiky ponytail in favour of letting his dark hair hang free and had even shaved his goatee. With the help of some makeup the two scars on his face were essentially nonexistent and dressed in a black yukata you barely recognized him. You were just as different. Your (h/c) hair was tousled and bounced with each step you took. Smokey black eyeliner and mascara adorned your eyes and blood red lipstick had been applied to your lips with expert precision. Your breasts had been pushed up higher than you were used to and an alarming amount of cleavage was visible thanks to the extra low bodice of your light purple kimono. The silky hemline swayed above your knees and you couldn’t help the swell of pride inside of you every time you caught Shikaku staring at you with a decidedly not innocent expression. 

      “Mmhmm. Let's do this.” He wrapped his arm around your waist and held you close as you approached the entrance. Leaning in to his embrace you took a calming breath and once you were in earshot of the single bored looking guard you giggled loudly. “Oh Shira, you’re so bad!” You cringed internally at how nasally your voice sounded as you called out your partner's fake name.

      “Only for you baby.” ‘Shira’ grinned lecherously down at you. You forced yourself to release more high pitched giggling.

      “Who are you and what business do you have in Kokumotsu?” The guard sounded just as bored as he looked, but you saw a flicker of interest in his eyes as they roamed your body.

      “My name is Shira Takahashi and this beautiful young lady is Mei Akiyama. We're just here for a little pleasure.” You were startled as ‘Shira' pinched your bottom, a playful glare forming on your face.

      “Shira!” The blush dusting your cheeks was real as he squeezed your bum roughly.

      “I see.” The man studied the two of you briefly before waving you through. “Enjoy your time here.” 

      “Oh we will.” Shikaku winked at the guard as he led you into the village. 

      His arm stayed secure around your waist as he led you around the town, his thumb drawing lazy circles on your hip. The simple action caused jolts of electricity to shoot to your core and you groaned at the thoughts racing through your mind. A mischievous smirk found its way to your lips as you slid your hand down his back slowly until it came to rest on his firm backside. His grip tightened for a brief moment as his eyes locked with yours, a silent warning deep in his black orbs. Fluttering your eyelashes up at him you smiled innocently as you rubbed your hand against him. “This is suuuch a cute little village, dontcha think?” You purposely kept your voice obnoxiously loud, drawing the attention of the people around you.

      “It's fine I guess. I’m more interested in finding us a hotel.” Even though you knew it was an act the unspoken meaning behind his words had you shiver in anticipation. 

      “Sh-Shira, not so loud!” You feigned embarrassment and hid your face in his neck, whispering quietly in his ear, “we're being followed.” 

      “How many?”

      “Three, but one is coming closer.”

       “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I take it you’re not from around here.” Both of you turned to look at the owner of the voice and were greeted by the sight of one of the most handsome men you had ever seen. His sky blue hair was pulled into a french braid from his hair line to the crown of his head with the rest twisted into a surprisingly elegant bun, his soft lips stretched into a welcoming smile showcasing his perfect teeth, and his deep set cerise eyes radiated warmth and kindness. Everything about him should have put you at ease in a heartbeat but your instincts were screaming at you not to trust him.

      “Yo-you heard us? I am sooo sorry.” 

      The stranger laughed breezily. “Don't worry about it. My name is Ren Kubo.” He extended his hand to ‘Shira' who shook it quickly.

       “I’m Shira and this is Mei.”

      “Ah it's always nice to see new faces here. I could show you to the nearest hotel if you’d like.” Ren directed his attention to your partner, not even bothering to acknowledge you anymore.

      “We wouldn’t want to trouble you.” Your voice was sickly sweet as you tried to mask your irritation. _He definitely doesn't respect women. And I can still sense his buddies nearby_. He ignored you completely, instead staring intently at ‘Shira' as he awaited his response.

      “I would appreciate that, thank you.”   
Ren nodded with a smile before motioning for the two of you to follow him. As your little group walked, Ren offered suggestions on different places for the two of you to see during your visit. As you watched Shikaku interact with your new guide you couldn’t help but be impressed at how easily he stayed in character, laughing and telling lewd jokes. At some point the two males had started walking ahead of you leaving you to trail behind and focus on the other figures following you. Their scents were faint in the air but you memorized them as best you could while you strained to keep track of their almost completely silent footsteps.

      “Well, this is it. I’ll leave you two to get settled. It was nice meeting you both.” This time Ren looked at you as he spoke, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes. 

      Snuggling into Shikaku's side you smiled sweetly as your companion bid him farewell and took your hand. You could feel Ren's piercing gaze on your back as you entered the building and had to suppress the urge to shiver in disgust. As ‘Shira' secured a room you felt multiple sets of eyes watching you like a hawk and making your skin crawl. It wasn't until you were standing in your room with the door locked behind you that you felt a small sense of calm return. Shikaku waited patiently as you closed your eyes and concentrated on the sounds around you while inhaling deeply. Your nose scrunched up as you focused and you missed the way his eyes softened at your innocent gesture. “All clear.”

      “Good. What did you hear out there?”

      “The second we got into the village I sensed three people following us. They were doing a really good job of hiding and if I didn’t have my enhanced senses I definitely wouldn’t have noticed them, even their chakra was well hidden. That Ren guy was one of the ones following us. The way he was acting around me, like I was less than dirt on his shoe and shouldn’t have even been speaking, tells me at the very least he doesn’t hold women in high regard. My instincts are telling me that without a shadow of a doubt he's involved with the kidnappings.”

       “I agree. They seem to have their sights set on you already which makes our job easier. Ren repeatedly mentioned a bar that he said we would enjoy and he seemed pretty insistent about us going so that alone is suspicious. We'll go tonight, but be on your guard. I have a feeling they will try and take you and if they do, you have to let them. Put up a fake fight but don't go overboard.” 

      “I know.” Biting your lip nervously you sat on the edge of the bed.   
Sensing your unease he came and sat next to you, his thigh brushing against yours. “I won't let anything happen to you.” Gentle fingers brushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

       Your eyes drifted upwards to meet his own and your words got stuck in your throat at the protectiveness radiating off of him. “I-I-I…” His gaze flickered between your eyes and lips and before you could form an actual sentence you felt his lips press against yours softly. Despite your shock you wasted no time in returning the sweet kiss. His lips moved against yours lazily as his arm snaked around your waist. Shikaku seemed to enjoy taking his time as he lacked any sense of urgency and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed as he pulled away.

      “What was that? I thought you said –,”

      “I stand by what I said yesterday, this isn’t appropriate.” 

      “Then why?” You were thoroughly confused as the corner of his lip twitched in amusement.

      “Some things are worth taking a risk for. Besides, didn’t you say age is just a number?” 

       “I did. And it is. But are you really okay with this or are you just trying to distract me?”

      “Why can't it be both?” As he leaned down again it was your turn to pull away. “Is something wrong?”

      “I can't.”

      Hurt flashed in his eyes. “I understand.”

      “Wait.” You reached out and touched his chest. “I meant I can't when you don’t look like yourself. As attractive as ‘Shira' is, I’m way more attracted to Shikaku.”

      Realization dawned on him and he stood up quickly. “Wait here.” Before you could say anything he had disappeared into the small adjoining room, closing the door behind him.

      _Holy fuck is this really happening?!_ Excitement bubbled up inside you as your mind raced with the possibilities of what was to come. Over the pounding of your heart you heard water start trickling into the bathroom sink. Time dragged on as you waited impatiently for him to return, your fingers playing with the silky material of your kimono. Once the water had shut off you quickly ran your fingers through your hair and fixed your bra so your breasts were pushed up even further. The door creaked open and Shikaku emerged, his face free of makeup and his hair fastened in its usual ponytail but without his facial hair the similarities between himself and his son were much more pronounced than usual. “Much better.” As he came to stand in front of you, you rose to your feet and wrapped your arms around his neck. Placing two fingers underneath your chin he tilted your face up as he leaned down. This kiss was completely different from the first one, full of desire and heat, and you felt yourself melt into it. His teeth nipped at your bottom lip before he stepped back, leaving you groaning in protest but one look from him was all it took to silence you. You watched with bated breath as he reached his hands out and untied the belt around your waist. Slipping his hands on top of your shoulders under the silky material he slowly pulled the kimono off of your body. As it pooled at your feet you shivered at the cold air on your newly exposed skin as you stood in only your bra and panties. 

      “Beautiful.” His eyes darkened even more as he took in your nearly naked form. “Turn around.” With your back facing him now you almost jumped in surprise as he pushed your hair out of the way and trailed his fingers down the back of your neck, kissing your shoulder lightly. You felt him tug something before your bra suddenly loosened and threatened to fall away from you. On instinct, your hands shot up to your breasts and held it in place. As he stepped back in front of you he raised an eyebrow before gently removing your hands, allowing the bra to join the kimono on the floor. The combination of your arousal and the cold air had caused your nipples to harden in an instant and Shikaku hummed in approval. You inhaled sharply when his hands cupped each of your breasts, his thumbs ghosting over your nipples. 

      “Pl-please Shikaku, don’t tease me.” 

      “Since you asked so nicely…” His eyes met yours and he smirked. “Take your panties off.” As you tried to remove the offending garment as quickly as possible he continued his ministrations, switching from light touches to rough kneading. By the time you were fully naked you were a whimpering mess, slightly embarrassed at how quickly he had managed to reduce you to this state by only touching your chest. “Get on the bed and kneel on both knees.” 

      You did as you were told and watched as he joined you on the bed, mirroring your position as he faced you. As he eyed you hungrily you became hyper aware that he was still fully clothed. “Aren't – aren’t you getting undressed too?”

      “No.” The smile he sent you as he cupped your cheek in his palm filled you with warmth and a strange sense of safety. “This is all about you right now. Don’t overthink anything, just relax.” Removing his hand from your face he placed a hand on each of your thighs, spreading your legs further apart. “Tell me if you want me to stop, understand?”

      “Mmhmm.” You didn’t trust your voice as you stared into his eyes, feeling one of his hands let go of your leg and make its way between your legs. One of his fingers trailed over the outer lips and you bit your tongue to suppress your surprised squeak but as he pushed his finger in further and began to rub small circles over your clitoris you inhaled sharply at the sudden pleasure. Grabbing onto his shoulders to steady yourself you felt your eyes close as he continued his bliss inducing actions. When you felt his lips descend on your own you returned the kiss as best you could but as he slipped one finger inside of you and pumped it in and out you gasped and felt him grin before slipping his tongue into your mouth. His tongue swirled around yours, claiming every inch of your mouth. Soon a second finger joined the first as his thumb stroked your sensitive jewel. His fingers curled inside of you and hit a spot you never knew you had, causing you to break the kiss and throw your head back with a string of profanities. “Fuck! Ri-right there! Don't fucking stop!” A third finger pushed inside easily and you lowered your body in an attempt to have him fill you up even more. _Fuck this is so good!_ You were vaguely aware of your body rocking against him as your senses went into overdrive, ecstasy overtaking you and clouding your thoughts. A familiar pressure built up below your stomach and you felt your walls clench around his fingers but before you found your sweet release he withdrew his digits. Your eyes flew open and you felt desperate tears well up. Shikaku brought his fingers up to his mouth and you noticed them glisten, absolutely covered in your wetness. 

      As he maintained eye contact he brought his tongue out and licked them slowly, groaning deeply in satisfaction. “I’m not done with you yet, lay on your back.” 

      In your hazy state of mind you complied, oblivious to what he was going to do. There was an obvious bulge in the front of his yukata and your eyes remained fixed on it as you felt more slick trickle out of you and dampen the sheets beneath you. On his hands and knees he crawled on top of you, kissing you briefly before trailing his lips down your jaw to your neck and to your heaving breasts as he placed one of his knees between your legs, pressing it firmly against your soft mound. He started pinching and rolling the nipple on your right breast between his fingers and with the left nipple he flicked the tip of his warm tongue against the hardened bud. Arching your back you clawed the sheets with one hand and tangled your fingers in his black locks with the other. Taking it into his mouth he swirled his tongue around the sensitive flesh, his teeth grazing it dangerously. After thoroughly lavishing your left breast he switched to the right one. Your wanton moans filled the room as you ground your aching core against him. He released your nipple with a ‘pop' and gazed adoringly up at you. As he made his way down your body he placed soft kisses along your flushed skin. When he reached below your bellybutton realization hit you like a ton of bricks and you squeezed your legs shut and sat up.

     “What's wrong?” Reading the fear in your eyes he spoke softly. 

       “I – I…” Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment and you closed your eyes tightly, shaking your head. 

      “Talk to me.”

      “I’ve never – no-one has ever…” 

      “Ah.” Understanding was clear in his voice. “Even in the other world no-one has ever done this for you?” Refusing to open your eyes you shook your head again. “That’s a shame. Do you trust me?”

      “Y-yes.”

      “Look at me.” Slowly you cracked your eyes open and peaked at the male sitting at your feet. “I said I’ll stop if you want me to but I know you’ll enjoy this if you let me keep going. I promise I’ll make you feel good.” 

      _Seriously (Y/N)? There's a hot guy offering to go down on you without expecting anything in return and you’re thinking about saying no? What is wrong with you?!_ “I – okay.”

      “Good. Just lay back and relax.” The feeling of safety returned as his calming voice washed over you and you felt your tension and apprehension dissipate as your body fell back onto the bed. Spreading your legs open once more his hands massaged your inner thighs comfortingly as he resumed placing soft kisses down your body. With each tender kiss your excitement built and by the time he had reached your most intimate place you were squirming underneath him. “Put your legs on my shoulders.” With his help you managed to lay your legs over him and he adjusted you so the backs of your knees were resting atop his muscular shoulders. You felt him turn his head and pepper your inner thighs with kisses before jumping in surprise as his teeth closed around the delicate skin. As he nipped and sucked the spot you moaned lowly, the delicious pain sending a rush of heat to your core. After he was sure there was a sizable mark left on you he ran his tongue over the bruise to ease some of the pain.

      _Well that's new… I guess I like pain. Who would've –._ You were ripped out of your thoughts as Shikaku's tongue pressed against your wet heat and licked slowly up to your neglected clitoris. “Oh fuck!” Your body bucked up on its own, trying to get closer to the source of pleasure. He chuckled and splayed his fingers across your stomach to hold you in place. Two fingers found their way inside of your aching center and pumped in and out slowly as he flattened his tongue against your tiny bundle of nerves. Your body was on fire as his assault continued and you felt your nails sharpen to claws as you fisted the sheets. He flicked his tongue against you teasingly before taking it into his mouth and sucking it roughly. His fingers curled inside of you and found that one hidden spot that drove you crazy. Thanks to him continuously changing techniques the familiar pressure was quickly returning, like air speeding into a balloon. Your walls clenched around him for the second time today and you both sensed your end was near. “F-fuck Shik-shikaku I’m – ngh, so fu-fucking close!” Your back arched involuntarily as you turned your head to the side and bit a pillow in hopes of muffling your noises. His teeth grazed your throbbing clit and your eyes shot open. “Bite me!” Your growled command made him falter for a brief second but he relented, his teeth pinching your clit with just enough force to push you over the edge. The balloon exploded and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as your body shook with unadulterated pleasure. You were vaguely aware of a guttural voice screaming Shikaku's name repeatedly before everything went black.

      When you came to, your breathing was labored and you watched with hooded eyes as Shikaku kissed his way from your inner thigh to your knee. “That was…amazing.” Your voice came out scratchy and your throat burned from all the screaming. 

      “I thought I lost you for a minute there.” His cheeks were flushed as his eyes met yours.

      “What do you mean?” The sticky sweat covering your body began to cool and you shivered at the drop in temperature. _Wait, weren't my legs over him?_ “Did I pass out?” Your cheeks reddened in embarrassment as he chuckled, climbing up the bed and pulling the covers back. He lay beside you and held you close to his chest as he wrapped the blankets around both of you. 

      “Only for a couple of minutes.” You groaned and snuggled closer, burying your face in the crook of his neck.

      “I’m sorry.”

      “There's no need to be sorry. If anything it's a compliment.” He smoothed down your now tangled hair as he held you close. “Feeling better now?”

      “Mmm.” You kissed his neck as you played with the fabric covering his chest. “Much. Thank you.”

      “My pleasure.”

      “Technically it was mine.” You muttered into his neck as you smiled sleepily.

      “What makes you think I didn’t enjoy it?”  
You pulled away so you could send him an incredulous look. “Because you got nothing out of it.”

      Shikaku shifted his body so he was eye level with you and shook his head sadly. “Just because I didn’t have an orgasm doesn’t mean I got nothing out of it.” Sighing he placed a kiss on your forehead and stroked your cheek. “I got to see the way you bite your lip when you’re trying to stop yourself from making noise. I got to see the way your head tips back and how your legs tremble when I touch specific areas on your body. The way you react when I do this.” His fingers caressed your breast and danced over the nipple, eliciting a soft mewl as you pushed yourself further into his hand. “There's so much more but the best thing I get from what we did is this right here. Holding you close and knowing that you enjoyed yourself.”

      Whether it was the sincerity in his words or your still heightened emotions you couldn’t help but tear up. “I – I.”

      “What’s wrong?” He frowned as he brushed away the tears that dared to fall.

      “No-one's ever cared about any of that. It's always been about what he wanted and – and.”

      “The men where you came from are complete morons then. Even such a troublesome woman like you deserves to be treated this way.”

      A small giggle escaped you and you smiled through your tears. “Even after that I’m still troublesome?”

      “You will always be a troublesome woman. You might just be the death of me.” He smirked playfully at you and in return you stuck your tongue out. “Point proven. Come here,” he opened his arms and you wasted no time in plastering yourself to his side, “we both need some rest before tonight.”  
“Mmkay.”

**Time Skip**

      Freshly showered and dressed in a knee length bubble gum pink dress with lace straps and a plunging neckline you walked hand in hand with Shikaku towards the bar Ren mentioned earlier. Since Shikaku's little surprise, any nerves you previously held about your part of the mission had completely disappeared. He squeezed your hand reassuringly and glanced down at you with concern shining in his eyes. 

      Standing on your tip toes you kissed him softly and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be okay. I’ve got this. Besides, you won't let anything bad happen to me.”

      “Damn right.” He murmured lowly as he led you into the establishment. Surveying the room quickly you noticed the various tables filled with people drinking and generally being loud. Everyone seemed to be trying to talk over the rest of the patrons at the same time and you had to force yourself not to wince at the noise.

      “Shira! You made it!” The familiar blue haired man shouted over the commotion as he approached you.

      “We figured we might as well check this place out, you made it sound like a lot of fun.” 

      “Man I’m glad I decided to come tonight, I was planning on staying home. But now that you’re here, why don’t the two of you come sit with me and my friends?” There was a slur to his words that you instantly realised was fake 

      _Fucking liar. You knew we'd be here tonight. Is this how you take most of your victims?_

      “Sure. Lead the way.” ‘Shira' snaked his arm around your waist as he followed Ren through the crowded room.

      “Guys this is Shira and his girlfriend Mei. This is their first night in town so let’s make them feel welcome.” You didn’t miss the cold calculating eyes glued to you as you sat in one of the empty chairs at the table.

       As the night wore on the men in the group continued buying both you and Shikaku drinks, claiming it was the hospitable thing to do but you were both aware of their sinister intentions. You were thanking your lucky stars that alcohol didn’t seem to have the same effect on you in this world that it did in the other because with how much alcohol was pumping through your system you should have been too far gone to function. It was evident that their patience was growing thin and despite Ren's attempts at drawing your attention, out of the corner of your eye you noticed two of his buddies fixing you a ‘special' drink. As they approached with drinks in hand you squeezed Shikaku's thigh three times under the table, your signal that something was about to happen. In response he placed his hand over yours and squeezed once as his demeanor shifted imperceptibly.

      “Sorry that took so long, it's busy tonight.” The one who added something extra to your drink smiled apologetically as he offered you the tainted liquid.

      Giggling like an airhead you shook your head and accepted the drink, “s'okay. Thanks.” As you raised the glass to your lips an acrid scent filled your nostrils and your head throbbed painfully. _They definitely put drugs in this but I have no idea which ones or what’s going to happen to me._ The liquid washed across your taste buds as it filled your mouth and you had to force yourself to choke it down. Halfway through finishing the drink your mind became fuzzy and your vision was swimming. Your skin felt clammy as all the colour drained from your face and Shikaku looked at you with real concern.

      “Are you alright babe?”

      “I duuunn feel show g'd.” Whatever they had drugged you with was taking effect quicker than you expected. An arm wrapped around you and helped you stand, the sound of Shikaku speaking registered in your brain before you felt someone guide you out of the building.

      “Is everything okay? Mei doesn’t look too good.” Ren questioned as he trailed along behind you. 

        _Shit this isn’t good, I didn’t even notice him with us. I can't – I can't sense his friends. Or anyone else for that matter…_

       “I think she just drank too much. She'll be okay once we get back to our room and she gets some sleep.” Your body was shifted around until you felt something firm and warm press into your side and prop you up.

      “Oh, well let me help you back to your hotel. It's the least I can do. I feel bad that I let her drink so much.” Ren scratched the back of his neck in faux shame. “Come on, I know a shortcut.” Your body was jostled some more as you were forced to move forward. With each stumbled step you took you felt the drugs work their way through your system at an alarming speed until they overpowered you and you collapsed to the ground.

      “Mei!” The panic in your companions’ voice rang clear in the air as he attempted to rush to your aide. Through your distorted vision you could make out a blurry shape advance on ‘Shira' from behind.

      “Sh'ra wsh ow…” Reaching out a trembling hand towards him your eyes rolled to the back of your skull and your head hit the pavement with a sickening crack. The last thing you heard before unconsciousness claimed you was the sounds of a struggle and ‘Shira's’ pained grunts.

 **Time Skip**

      When you finally started to regain consciousness you were greeted with a mouth drier than the Sahara and the worst migraine you had ever felt. It felt like your eyelids were made out of lead as you forced them open.

      “I think she's awake now.” 

      “Already?! There's no way!”

      “I – I wonder who sh-she is…”

      Hushed voices surrounded you and even though they were trying to keep quiet they made your head feel like it was going to split in two. “My head…” You whimpered as you clutched your throbbing head.

      “Hey take it easy, don't push yourself.” The first voice urged gently.

      “Where – where am I?” Trying to sit up proved to be a mistake as a wave of nausea overtook you. 

       “We don't know. All of us were taken from different villages so there is no real way to know where we are.” Someone dabbed your forehead with a cool cloth as they stroked your hair. “Whatever drugs they used on you are still in your system but I have something that will help lessen the symptoms. You will have to sit up first though so you don’t choke on it.” 

      “O-okay.” You tried to sit up once more but in your weakened state your body threatened to fall back down. Two hands pressed against your back and gingerly pushed you forwards. “Thank you.” Everything was still a blurry mess and you began to panic.

      “It will be alright. Drink this and I promise you’ll feel better.” A cup was held up to your lips and you swallowed the liquid without hesitation. “Give me the bucket, quickly!”

      The foul tasting drink coated your mouth and your stomach churned. “What the –.” Before you could finish your sentence the contents of your stomach forced their way up your throat and out of your mouth. You heard someone gagging as you continued vomiting but couldn’t find it in you to care as the muscles in your abdomen contracted painfully.

      “I apologize. I know that isn’t the most pleasant tasting drink. Are you feeling better?”

      “I,” you paused for a moment and realized that the pain had already subsided greatly, “yes. What was that?” You wiped your mouth with the rag offered to you.

      “A special type of herb dried and turned to powder mixed with water. I stumbled across it a long time ago. It makes you vomit, as you found out. It's helpful to have in case you ever ingest poison accidentally.” The girl tilted her head as she sent you a closed eye smile, her long black hair falling freely around her and complimenting her porcelain skin. _Why does she look so familiar? I’ve definitely never met her before so where have I seen her..?_ As you tried placing your finger on where you knew her from, something shiny around her neck caught your attention. A quick glance around the room and you noticed a few of the other girls had them on as well.

      “What is that?” 

      “Hm? Oh, this?” Her dainty fingers trailed across the metal band. “Our captors put these on us. Anyone they took that they thought could wield chakra got one. They disrupt our chakra flow so that we cannot fight back with ninjutsu.”

      “Wait, you’re a ninja?” 

      “I suppose I am.” She smiled sadly at you which only confused you more. “But it would appear you are as well.” She nodded at you and your hand flew up to your neck, feeling the cold metal beneath your fingers.

      “Shit. But if you’re a ninja why haven’t you tried to get out of here?”

      “The last girl who tried that ended up dead. None of us are stupid enough to try anything.” A dejected brunette piped up as the figure in her arms shifted.

      “Oh…” Your stomach twisted in horror as you got a good look at the small body in her arms. Jesus, she can't be more than five or six.

      “I know. I felt the same way when I was brought here.” The girl who had helped you had her gaze fixed on the small child as she frowned. 

      “But she's… she's so young.” The little girl shifted once more and you felt your heart ache for her. “What's her name?” 

      “Amari. She was brought here a few weeks ago. Apparently her brother was taking care of her after their parents died but couldn’t afford to anymore and he sold her to the people who took all of us.” The brunette spat angrily as she clutched her closer. 

      “What kind of monster would do that to his own flesh and blood?!” Your own anger was quickly rising but Shikaku's voice reminding you of the mission echoed in your mind and you shoved it down.

      “If I ever get out of here and meet him I swear I’ll make him feel every ounce of pain Amari has gone through because of him.” 

      A small smile graced the black haired girl's elegant face as she handed you a glass of water. “I have faith that if you manage to get away from here you will be able to accomplish your mission. It is my belief that true strength comes from ones desire to protect those important to us.” Recognition hit you hard and you choked on your water. _No way, it can't be…_ As you spluttered and coughed trying to clear your airway the black haired female frowned in concern as she patted your back carefully. “Are you alright?”

      “I-I… you – your name is Haku, isn’t it?” You were awestruck as you stared at he – him, his kind eyes widening in shock.

      “How did you know that?” His hand gripped your forearm as he peered at you.

      “Let's go over there,” you motioned to one of the unoccupied ratty mattresses, “and I can explain.”

       “Very well.” Rising gracefully he extended his hand and helped you to your feet before guiding you to the empty space. As the two of you sat he waited patiently for you to begin.

      _Should I be doing this? I’m not supposed to blow my cover but maybe if I tell him the truth he can give me information we don’t have yet._ Sighing you placed your hands in your lap. “What would you like to know first?”

      “You know my name so it is only fair that you tell me yours.”

      “My real name is (Y/N) (L/N) but for my mission I’m going by Mei Akiyama.”

      “I see. Your mission has to do with the missing girls I assume?” 

      “It does.”

      “Do you have a team or are you all alone?”

      “I’m part of a team.”

      “Where are your teammates?” 

      “I’m not sure. They’ll be infiltrating the auction but I don’t know when it takes place.”  
He processed the information with a neutral expression before furrowing his brows. “How did you know who I am?”

       “That's a little more complicated. I have…visions from time to time and I’ve had some about you.”

      “Really? What have you seen?” Haku shifted his body closer to you, intrigue written across his face. 

      “It's about a job Zabuza accepts…”

       “You know my Master?” 

       “No, not really. He was in the visions as well.”

      “What was the job?”

      “He was hired by a man named Gato in the Land of Waves to assassinate someone. It… doesn’t end well for either of you.” You grimaced as you recalled their deaths.

      His watchful eyes didn’t miss the sad look on your face as he pieced together the meaning behind your words. “We die?”

      “Yes. You die protecting Zabuza and he dies defending you.” You saw the unspoken question shining in his deep brown eyes and placed a comforting hand over his. “He really does care for you. I know he claims that you’re nothing more than a weapon to him but that’s a lie. You’re the only person in this world that he truly cares about.” 

      “Thank you.” He spoke softly as he averted his gaze briefly. “What,” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat, “what village are you from?”

      “The Hidden Leaf Village.” One of his well groomed eyebrows shot up. “I know you’re from The Land of Water and our villages aren’t exactly friendly and you have no reason to trust me but right now I’m not your enemy. All I want to do right now if help free these girls and take down whoever is pulling the strings in this operation. And if there's a chance I can prevent your death in the process then I'll take it.”

      “Why do you want to save me?”

      “Because you're not a bad person Haku. Actually, you’re a really good person. You’re pure and have such a big heart. There was no justification in your death and I’ll be damned if I let you die without at least trying to stop it. I’m only going to say this once: don't trust Gato. He's the reason Zabuza ends up dead.” You knew playing on Haku's desire to protect his Master was low but you figured it was your best chance to keep them alive. “If he does take the job from him just…be careful and trust your instincts.”

      “Alright…” You knew he was sceptical but you couldn’t blame him, as far as you knew Seers weren’t a thing in this Universe. The sound of keys jingling and the heavy metal door being opened interrupted your conversation and your eyes immediately snapped to the exit, your body shielding Haku on instinct. Cruel pink eyes connected with yours as the intruder stepped into the room.

      “Well hi there sweetheart, how do you like your new room?”

      “Could use some new décor.” 

      “I’ll be sure to make a note of that.” Ren sneered at you as his eyes drifted to the person behind you. “Some of the guys are getting bored, they need some entertainment. You should do nicely.” He approached slowly, taunting you and silently daring you to say something. 

      Not one to shy away from a dare, you pushed Haku further behind you as you stood up defiantly. “You're not going to lay a single finger on her.” 

      “Oh really? What makes you so sure about that?” Ren's hand wrapped around your throat, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to keep you in place.

      _This collar works on chakra but I doubt it works on the other thing inside of me and I haven’t taken any Blockers recently. This should work…_ “Because you’re going to take me instead.” You hadn’t really practiced using your pheromones before but you focused on the emotion you wanted to relay and you were pleased as you noticed his pupils widen a fraction before his grip tightened. 

      “You’re just a little whore aren’t you? Looks like we were right about you. This is going to be fun.” He released your throat but wound his fingers through your hair and dragged you harshly to the door. Glancing back at Haku you saw his eyes widen and his fists clenched at his side. 

      “Keep them safe.” You mouthed silently as you motioned to the frightened girls. Ren dragged you out of the room and down a series of hallways before finally stopping in a small, dark room with a single mattress on the floor. There were restraints on the bed and various tools hanging on the walls and your stomach dropped as you noticed the old blood dried on the floor and mattress. You tried using your pheromones to remove the extra lust in him but due to the dim lighting in the room you couldn’t tell if it had worked or not. Dark chuckles met your ears and you paled. _How did I not notice there's more people in here?!?_

      “Well well well. Long time no see.” A figure stepped out in front of you and you growled.

      “Futoshi.” Your hands curled into fists as the male smirked at you. “Can't say I’m surprised. You’re concerned brother act could use some work.”

      “Watch your mouth!” Ren shoved you to the ground roughly. 

      “I’d say it worked well enough. Your idiot of a Hokage sent you didn’t he?” The men in the room jeered as you literally hissed in anger.

      “Don't you dare speak about Lord Third like that!”

       “Awe did I strike a nerve? This worked out so much better than we could have hoped for. I mean, our orders were to lure some Leaf ninja here and they sent a female jonin. You’re going to make him **very** happy.” Futoshi kicked your side with enough force to send your body flying sideways. You felt something crack as his foot collided with you and you winced in pain as you crashed against the wall.

      _Shit he’s strong, I think he cracked a rib or two_. “Good plan. Now you have a ninja on the inside who can take you down. Smart.”

      The room erupted in sadistic laughter. “You honestly think you can do anything to stop us? That collar blocks all of your chakra flow and you’re too weak for taijutsu. You don’t even know where you are right now.” Ren snickered.

      _This is bad. If Futoshi is in on this then that means we aren’t in Kokumotsu. Which means Shikaku and my team probably don't know where we are either. What do I do?!_ “Let me guess, we're nowhere near Kokumotsu are we?”

      “Hey it looks like she isn’t a complete idiot after all! If you’re waiting for your little team to save you it's pointless. We made sure to lead them on a wild goose chase.”

      _Fuck. I guess it's up to me. I have to get as much information from them first before I make a move. The longer I stay here the less my chances of escape are._

      Your body was hoisted up into the air and you were face to face with Ren. “I think it's time to have some fun with you.” The smug look on his face pissed you off so you gathered as much saliva as you could and spat on him. You smirked as it hit his eye and dripped down his face. “Stupid fucking bitch, you’ll pay for that.” After what you did you should have expected his next move but you were still surprised when his fist collided with the side of your face and he flung you to the ground. On your hands and knees he didn’t give you any time to compose yourself before his foot connected with your stomach. He crouched down and dug his nails into the exposed flesh of your arm, dragging you across the floor to the wall with the tools. Blood trickled out of the crescent shaped wounds as you heard him grab something off the wall. You looked up in time to see him smooth his hand over a long, thin, metal rod lovingly. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

      Before you could try to get away from him he had raised the object over his head and brought it down harshly against your back. You screamed out as pain blossomed everywhere he struck you and he took his sweet time beating you. After the fifth hit one of the other men spoke up.

      “Maybe you should stop. Lord Orochimaru wants them all in good shape.” 

      _So Orochimaru is behind this?_

      “I’m not going to kill her so shut up!” 

      “You might if you keep going. Or you might break her spine.” 

      “Fine! Hold her down then.” Three sets of rough hands grabbed you and yanked you to the mattress. “On her back. I want her to look at me when I do this.” One set of hands held your arms above your head and the other two each grabbed a leg and spread them open. Ren nestled himself over your hips and pulled a kunai out of the pouch resting on his thigh. “Where to start, hmm?” The sharp tip of the weapon trailed over your abdomen before he grabbed the bottom of your dress and sliced it all the way to the top. As you lie fully naked underneath him you felt fear and helplessness rise up for the first time since waking up. Your struggles against the men made them laugh and your head was forced to the side as Ren's fist hit your cheek again. “Should we start from the top and make our way down? What do you think (Y/N)?”

      “Go fuck yourself.”

       “Tsk tsk. You really shouldn’t have said that.” He spun the kunai once before stabbing the tip into the side of your wrist, careful to avoid anything major. The blade made its way through your flesh and down your arm to the side of your breast, leaving behind searing pain and rivulets of blood. Your cries of agony spurred him on as he repeated the action with your other arm. As you wriggled beneath him you felt something hardening against you and you fought the urge to throw up at the realization that he was getting turned on by this torture. Tears flowed down your cheeks and he sat back to examine his handiwork. As his eyes locked with yours he brought the bloodied blade up and flicked his tongue out, staining it with your crimson fluid. He groaned in satisfaction before leaning down and licking the tears from your face. “Is this as good for you as it is for me?”

      “I’m – I’m going to f-fucking kill you.”

      “Good luck with that.” Ren plunged the blade into your thigh and sliced all the way up and over your hipbone. The scream that ripped through your throat was more animal than human and you felt your fight or flight response kick in. Unfortunately for your captors the non human side of you chose fight and adrenaline coursed through your veins. Claws extended from your fingers and the man holding your arms gasped in shock.

      “R-Ren?”

      “Shut up!”

      “Ren!” The blue haired man looked up too late as you ripped your arms out of the other man’s hold and dug your claws into his shoulders. You threw Ren off of you as if he weighed nothing and shoved the other two men off of your legs. Springing up you spun around and flattened your hand, slicing into the first males throat and destroying his jugular. Blood sprayed across your face as the man crumpled to the floor. Still in shock at the turn of events none of the other men moved and you took the opportunity to continue your attack. You lunged at one of the men who had been holding your legs down and snapped his neck like a twig. Seeing two of their comrades murdered within seconds of each other brought the rest of them out of their stupor and they advanced on you. Quick as a flash you grabbed the discarded pipe and swung it at the last male that had held you down. It connected with his face with a satisfying ‘crunch' and you kept hitting him until his face resembled a pancake. 

      “What the Hell are you?!” Futoshi yelled in horror as he backed away from you. 

      You chuckled darkly as you felt your fangs descend. Stalking towards him you reached a hand up to the collar and touched your fingers to it. Not fully sure of how you did it you felt the metal melt and drip down your body, scorching your flesh as it went.

      “What am I?” Psychotic laughter bubbled out and you shook your head. “I’m simply the Hidden Leaf's faithful guard dog. You threaten my pack and you deal with me. Not that it matters for you anymore though.” He quivered in fear as you moved closer.

      “Please, don't hurt me!”

      “Ha! How many girls begged those exact words to you as you tortured them?” Your terrifying snarls drew frightened whimpers from the man. “I’ll tell you what. You tell me everything you know about who's behind these kidnappings and what they want with the girls and I’ll consider letting you go.”

      “I – I can't! He'll kill me if I do!” 

      “Oh well. Excruciating death it is.” 

      “Wait!” His hands flew up in surrender as he took a step back.

      “Yes?” 

      “I’ll – I’ll tell you! Just please, don’t kill me!”

      “I suggest you speak quickly then.”

      “We were hired by a guy named Orochimaru. He said he needed test subjects and he wanted young girls for his experiments. He said he would pay more for any girls with interesting chakra.”

      “And he lets you do whatever you want with them until he takes them?”

      “He said as long as we don't kill them or seriously maim them that he doesn’t care what we do.”

      “That's not all, is it?” Your eyes narrowed dangerously as you prowled around him.

      “He-he said that we should target the Leaf specifically. That’s everything, I swear!”

      “I see. I guess you’re usefulness has run out.” Ceasing your pacing you raised your palm towards him and watched as black smoked twisted around his body.

      “But you said –.”

      “I lied. Did you honestly think I was going to let a rapist walk free?” Slowly you closed your hand into a fist and the smoke closed around him, the force causing his body to explode in a gooey, bloody mess. _Huh. Gaara does that with his sand. I forgot about that._ Glancing around the carnage you created you noticed there was one last survivor. _Pff is he seriously unconscious? Pathetic weakling. Too bad I have to make this quick_. Taking a long blade off of the wall you strode towards Ren and glared hatefully down at him. “I wish I could draw this out and make you suffer. Lucky for you I have to make sure the girls are safe.” As you plunged the blade deep into his heart his eyes shot open and he clawed at his throat as he choked on his own blood. You watched the life drain from his eyes as blood trickled out of his mouth. Your chest heaved with ragged breaths as your anger subsided and as you calmed down you became acutely aware of the pain surging through you. _I have to get to the others and get them out of here before Orochimaru shows up._ Without the collar, or maybe because the adrenaline had forced the remaining traces of drugs out of your system, your senses had returned to full strength and a quick sniff of the air showed you the right direction to go. The padding of your feet on the cold floor echoed around the empty hallways as you navigated your way back to the desolate room. When you reached the door you deadpanned as you remembered that you needed a key to get inside. Huffing in annoyance you crouched down to look at the lock and black mist swirled around your fingertips before slipping into the mechanism. There was a quiet ‘click' as it unlocked and you pushed the door open. The girls inside whimpered in fear as the door swung open and once they saw your condition a few of them cried out.   “Everything is going to be okay now. I took care of the men.”

      “What happened to you?” Haku rushed to your side and began examining your wounds.

      “A little bit of torture and a lot of fighting.” You sent him a weary smile as he proceeded to wipe the blood from your face and body. 

      “You’re injured. I know a little medical ninjutsu but with this device on I can’t do anything. Wait, where did yours go?” 

      “I took it off. I should be able to remove yours too.”

      “How did you manage that? Without the key there is no way to get them off.” 

      “I’m…special. Let me try to get yours off.” You felt around his collar for the keyhole but his fingers wrapped around your hand. 

      “How do you know I won’t attack you the second you take it off?” He questioned with genuine curiosity.

      “I trust you Haku. You wouldn’t hurt me unless you absolutely had to.” His fingers fell away and you repeated the trick you used on the door. The metal unlocked and fell to the floor.

      His hand rubbed the angry red mark around his neck as he motioned for you to sit. “I’ll do what I can but you will need actual medical attention once you get home. I would also suggest finding clothes before we leave here.” He mentioned your nudity in such an offhand way with the lightest pink dusting his cheeks that you snorted in laughter.

      “Does anyone have anything I could wear?” Haku's gentle touch felt nice against your bruised and battered body and you couldn’t help but lean into it. One of the girls rummaged around for a minute before approaching you slowly with a bundle in her arms. “Thank you.”

      “Are they – are they really dead?” Her voice was timid but her eyes flickered with hope.

       “They are. We're going to get all of you home safe.” 

      Tears of happiness filled her eyes as she flung her arms around you and sobbed into your shoulder. “Th-thank you!”

      You felt hot tears spring to your eyes as you returned her hug. _These poor girls. Nobody should ever have to go through this._

       “There. I’ve done all I can.” Haku and the girl both pulled away at the same time and you smiled gratefully at the boy. He averted his gaze as you dressed quickly, taking care not to aggravate your injuries. 

      “Anyone with a collar come here and I’ll get it off of you before we leave.” Over half of the girls came forward and you got to work removing the unwanted devices.

**Time Skip**

      It didn’t take long before you found the way out of the hideout, all of the missing girls behind you as Haku stood at your side. The sun bore down on you and you relished the warmth it offered, a stark contrast to the dark and gloomy holding cell.

      “I take it you’ll be going back to Konoha?” 

       “Yes. I don’t know where my teammates ended up or if they’re searching for me. The best thing to do right now is go back home and tell the Hokage what happened. I’ll take everyone with me so we can get them home safely. What about you, where will you go?”

      “I’m going to find Zabuza.”

      “Do you know where he is?” You looked at the young male with concern.

      “I have an idea.” He tilted his head and sent you another closed eye smile. “Besides, I can take care of myself if I encounter any trouble on the way.”

      “I don’t doubt you can take care of yourself.” Carefree laughter bubbled out of you and Haku chuckled at your demeanor. “But please, think about what I told you.”

      “I will.”

      “Before you go there's something I’d like to do if that’s alright with you.” _I have no idea if this will work but it won't hurt to try._

      “Oh?”

      “Close your eyes.” After weighing his options his eyes slowly closed and you took a deep breath. Stepping close to him you placed your hand on the back of his head tangling his dark locks in your fingers. You heard his heartbeat increase but he stayed still as a statue as you leaned down. “Ninja Art: Kiss of Death.” The words spilled from your mouth so quietly there was no way he heard them. Your lips pressed against his surprisingly cool ones in a tender kiss. You were stunned when you felt his lips move in response and his palm rest on your cheek. Flicking your tongue out you smiled into the kiss as he parted his lips, allowing you to invade his mouth. The tiny ball of chakra that had been forming in your throat was complete and you used your tongue to push it into his mouth. His lips faltered as it slid down his throat and you forced yourself to withdraw from the kiss.

      “What…what was that for?” 

      “Good luck. I hope we meet again one day Haku.” Smoothing down his hair you motioned for the girls to follow you. With your back turned to him you missed the way his fingers gingerly touched his lips.

**Time Skip…Again**

 

      Your group had been traveling for three days now and everyone was hungry and exhausted. After escaping the hideout you had realized Ren and his men had been telling the truth, you were nowhere near Kokumotsu. Thankfully you had the good sense to study a map of the Land of Fire and once you had passed a small town it was easy for you to pinpoint where you were. A small breeze carried familiar scents towards you and a large grin stretched across your face.

      “What’s going on?” The young girl who had become so protective over Amari -whose name you learned to be Saya – questioned as she noticed your smile.

      “We'll be in Konoha in less than twenty minutes.”

      “How do you know?” 

      “My sense of smell hasn’t let me down yet.” Tapping your index finger against your nose you picked up the pace, eager to finally be home.

      “Are you sure we'll be allowed in your village?” Saya's voice carried an undertone of fear and you frowned as you glanced sideways at her.

      _What village is she from that makes her scared of mine?_ “Of course you will be. What makes you think you wouldn’t?”

      “Where I’m from outsiders aren’t really permitted, if they can even find us.”

      “Where are you from?”

       There was a long pause before she spoke again, “Kirigakure.”

      “Oh. No matter, we'll find a way to get you home safely. Is Amari from your village?”

      “Nu uh. I’m from Suna-Sunag uhhh… the sand village.” The little girl piped up, becoming frustrated at not being able to pronounce the full name.

      “The sand are our allies, we shouldn’t have a problem getting you there.” 

      “No!” Her cherub like face contorted in fear as all colour drained away. You felt like smacking yourself when you remembered how she ended up with Ren.

      “I’m sorry.” Kneeling down to her level you placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

      “You don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to.”

      “R-really?” She sniffled as she stared at you with tear filled eyes.

      “Really. I’m not going to let him anywhere near you ever again.” You almost fell on your rear as she glomped you. Wrapping your arms around her you hoisted her up and continued walking. 

      “I thought about taking her with me…” Saya whispered regretfully. “But I don't think my village would be good for her.”

      “It's alright, I’ll make sure she's taken care of.”

      “Thank you.” 

      The entrance of the village came into view and you breathed a sigh of relief. “This is it. Let's get you all to the Hokage. He'll know what to do.”

      “Stop right there. What business – (Y/N) is that you?!”

      “Hey Kotetsu, Izumo.” 

      “You’re alive!” 

      “Uh yes? Why is that so surprising?” You deadpanned at the shock on their faces.

      “When Shikaku and the others returned without you everyone panicked. No-one had any idea what happened to you.”

      “I finished the mission?” Amari's stomach grumbled and she moaned in pain. “Sorry I can't stay and chat, I have to go see the Hokage.”

      “Oh! Yeah of course.” The pair stepped aside and let your group enter the bustling village. 

      Ignoring the stares from the villagers you led the girls through the town and to the large building that housed the Hokage’s office. As you reached the guarded door you set Amari down but held her hand tightly. Having recognized you easily the two guards stepped aside and allowed you to knock.

      “Enter.” Glancing up from his mountain of paperwork his tired eyes widened. “(Y/N), you’ve returned! And you’ve brought visitors.”

      “Yes sir. The mission was a success. I’ve brought the kidnapped girls back with me.”

      “Excellent. Mission report?”

      “Um actually sir, would the girls be able to get medical attention and food first? They've been through Hell and I don’t know when they ate last.”

      “Of course.” He called for someone and it didn’t take long for a set of ninja to enter the room. “Take these girls to the hospital. Make sure they receive the best medical attention possible and something to eat.”

      “Yes sir.” The duo instructed the girls to follow them but Amari hid behind you.”

      “What’s wrong child?” Lord Third glanced between you and the frightened girl who simply shook her head.

      “Amari, what is it?” You crouched down to her level for the second time in the last few minutes.

      “Don't let them take me!” The poor thing was close to hysterics as she pleaded with you.

      “It's okay sweetheart. They aren’t going to hurt you, I promise. They just want to make sure you aren’t hurt.” Wiping away the tears from her cheeks you spoke to her in a soothing voice. “And Saya will be with you so you wont be alone. As soon as I’m done here I’ll come find you, okay?”

      “O-okay…” She was still latched onto you so you beckoned the brunette female over. 

       “Come on Amari. The sooner we go, the sooner they’ll finish what they have to do here.” Saya scooped her up and held her close as she shot you a smile. 

      Once the room had been emptied you kneeled in front of the Hokage and began explaining every little detail about the mission, only leaving out the part about Haku. He listened in silence as you recounted the events leading up to your arrival.

      “That is more troubling than I anticipated. What could he be planning..?” You knew he was referring to Orochimaru and that the question was meant to be rhetorical so you stayed silent. “However I am impressed with how you handled your first mission, even without your team leader.”

      “Thank you sir. About my team…are they alright?”

      “Kai and Reiji both suffered minor injuries during an ambush. Shikaku's injuries were more severe but not life threatening. He should still be in the hospital recovering but knowing him he left the second the doctors turned their backs.” He chuckled good naturedly and you felt a wave of relief seeing him unconcerned about the injuries. Something about the way his body shifted almost imperceptibly knocked the relief straight out of you.

       “There's something you aren’t telling me…”

      Sighing, he removed his hat and rubbed his temples. “After you had left, Tsume brought forth an item to my attention. A book. Actually, it would be more accurate to call it a journal.”

      Excitement flared up in you as he reached into a drawer and pulled out a small book. _That lady in my dreams said the answers I seek are scattered through three different nations, is this the first piece?_ “What does this have to do with me?”

      “The entries contained in these pages seem to have been written specifically for you. Which is strange seeing as the dates inside are from centuries ago.” 

      “Isn't it possible this is just some sort of prank?” You were desperately trying not to get your hopes up at the thought that this could be the start of finding out who you really were.

      “I thought so at first, but I had the pages and the binding itself inspected and dated and it was confirmed that this book is hundreds of years old. I think it's best if you read through it.” He held the book out to you and you wasted no time in taking it from him and opening it to the first page. Skimming through the first half of the journal there wasn’t anything that really stood out until one particularly interesting entry popped up.

_April 1004,_   
_I think the mutations have finally stopped. The clan still thinks we've changed because of the moon but Hirako and I know the truth. The strife between the families is getting to be too strong and I fear my dear brother will soon cause an uprising. All I wanted to do was keep everyone safe but I’m beginning to regret seeking His help, I don’t know how much longer I can live this way._

_November 1004,_   
_It happened again today. We were attacked and I snapped. My memory has been coming back in bits and pieces but I’m still struggling to remember everything, it's almost as if something or someone is purposely shielding me from what I did. The only thing I can remember is the unbridled rage inside of me and the horrifying bloodlust that consumed my very soul. I think Hirako has noticed these new changes in me but he hasn’t approached me about them yet. Brother has been distancing himself more from me, I worry that his resentment is still growing but I’m afraid there is nothing I can do to help him. I refuse to give up on him, no matter the cost to myself._

      Your eyes widened at the description in the journal. _This sounds like what’s happening to me. This must be Miari's. Does that mean we're actually related?_

_May 2nd 1005,_

_**He** has shown us what must be done. To ease my bloodlust and to ensure the survival of our clan, both sides. I can only hope and trust in our strength that we can do what we must. We have come too far and lost too much to fail in this._

_May 6th 1005,_

_Upon **His** instruction I have marked Hirako, albeit in the crudest form possible. It will have to suffice until the double moon. I have finally started to feel like my old self again._

_Marked him? Marked him how?_

_December 1014,_

_The time has come for us to take action to ensure the survival of our clan. If everything goes according to plan I should be with child within a months time._

_January 1015,_

_It's happened, I can already feel the new life growing inside of me. I thought I was imagining things but **He** said that due to her powers this will not be a normal pregnancy. I am still in disbelief that soon I will be a mother. Little brother has taken notice of the shift in me and has been watching me from afar._

_March 1015,_

_I have started to have visions. I do not know what to make of them but from what I have seen I will have a daughter, just as **He** predicted. The one vision that repeats every night is of a fierce wolf chasing a rabbit. Both are covered in blood and as their battle rages deep into the night one mournful howl fills the air before everything fades away. Is my daughter the wolf? Who is the rabbit? I know **He** knows but **He** says that when the time is right **He** will tell us._

_July 1015,_

_The visions have gotten stronger and are making even less sense than before. **He** has told us more of the prophecy. The wolf must rise to fight the rabbit to stop the reign of chaos and despair it will bring but will only succeed if all eight fragments are made whole. There is a sense of foreboding surrounding Hirako and I. Something is coming, lurking in the shadows waiting for its moment to pounce._

_Eight fragments? That sounds like what Vixaa told me…_

_May 14th 1016,_

_Even though things have been quiet since I was pregnant with (Y/N) I fear that peace will come to an end soon. My little pup will be one this year and **He** has been paying extra attention to her. **He** says she has the makings of a fine warrior even at such a young age. I am beginning to grow suspicious of his intentions. _

_May 19th 1016,_

_A young couple came to see us with their newborn son in search of our medical talents. The poor child was so sick, I could feel his life force fading away as I held him. Even though our clan all share the same distrust of outsiders I couldn’t just let the young one die but I wasn’t the one to save him. (Y/N) shocked us all as she shared part of her life force with the babe. It was as if she acted on instinct. I believe she will be a fine leader for our clan one day. I have never seen such fiery hair in all of my life before this though and I doubt I will ever forget their strange name. Uzumaki…_

_No way! Is that why me and Naruto have such a strong connection? I thought it was just because he was my favourite character in the anime._

_July 1016,_

_I confronted **Him** today and I feel the strength of the bond mark weakening because of it. My daughter was NOT created just to be a weapon! I refuse to believe that!_

_September 1016,_

_The time has come. Little brother has entrusted the help of someone evil and intends to attack us. I will do what I must to stop them._

      The ink of the last entry was blotchy in spots with streaks of dark red on the edges of the paper, as if someone was crying as they wrote their final words.

_October 1016,_

_It's been done. Hirako and everyone else are dead. I will be joining them soon. That thing sent her away. I do not know where she is but I pray that she is safe. I couldn't save her but I was able to transport one young boy from the lesser branch of the clan away to safety. Hirako, (Y/N), I am so sorry I wasn’t strong enough to protect either of you. I will carry the pain of your losses with me far into the afterlife. Kyoya, please forgive me for not being able to save you from the path you have taken. I will always love you little brother._

      As you finished the last entry images flashed through your mind, so quickly that it was hard to make sense of them. A hulking beast of a man with a wild mane of untamed auburn hair. Children laughing and playing as they chased wolf pups. But the one that burned itself into your brain was of the most enchanting woman you had ever seen smiling down at you, her (e/c) eyes filled with so much love that you could feel it even now. Two chubby arms reached out and softly pet the fuzzy wolf ears on either side of her head and you knew exactly who this woman was. 

      You didn’t notice the tears streaming down your face until they splashed across the pages. The book fell from your trembling fingers and hit the ground as your body went numb. Your bottom lip quivered as you stared at the journal splayed out at your feet, your heart clenching painfully. “M-mom…” Your voice cracked as you collapsed to your knees, heart wrenching sobs filling the quiet room. Your body shook as you clawed at your chest above your heart. Rocking back and forth you were vaguely aware of alarmed voices calling out to you. Arms enveloped you and your claws dug into the owners back as you held onto them for dear life. 

      “Shh it's okay. Let it out.” The gentle way they spoke to you and the motherly way they held you caused you to wail in desperation.

      “M-m-make i-it st-stop. Pl-please. It – it h-hurts t-too mu-much.” 

      “I know pup. I know. If I could make it stop I would.” Tsume’s hold was fiercely protective as your emotions spilled out onto her shoulder.

      “What’s going on? What happened to (Y/N)?!” Kurenai tried to rush to you but Asuma held her back and shook his head.

      “Whatever is going on I think she needs Tsume more than anyone right now.”

      “Asuma is correct. There has been a recent development regarding (Y/N)’s past and it would seem the new information is hitting her particularly hard.” The Hokage spoke solemnly as he watched the scene unfold.

      Bending down quickly Kakashi plucked the journal off the floor. “I take it this has something to do with it?”

      “Indeed. That’s a journal left behind by her mother.”

       “Her mother?! But I thought she came from a different Universe.” Guy was unusually serious as he raised the question on everyone's minds.

      “She is. Inoichi confirmed it himself.” Shikaku's eyes narrowed in confusion.

       “She wasn’t aware of the true circumstances of her birth so this came as a shock to her. It would be easier if you read it for yourself.” Lord Third pulled out his pipe as he sighed.

      Kakashi, Shikaku, Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma all gathered round and as a group began reading for themselves, their expressions morphing from confusion to interest to pity. By the time they had finished tears were still cascading down your cheeks but your sobs had receded to small hiccups as Tsume rocked you gently. When Kakashi went to close the book a folded piece of paper slipped out from the back. Guy caught it mid air and turned it over.

      “This is addressed to her.”

      “It's a letter. Written from her mother to her.”

      The group unfolded it carefully and the contents brought tears to Guy and Kurenai's eyes. “Has she read this yet?” There was a small smile on Kurenai's face as she looked up.

      “Not yet. We'll wait until she has had a chance to rest before giving it to her.” 

      “If this is true though, that would make (Y/N)…”

      “Almost a thousand years old, yes.”

 


End file.
